Plastic Bag Ban

From 1 July 2018, lightweight single-use plastic bags will be banned statewide in Western Australia.

Implemented by the State Government, the ban will bring WA in line with South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory, and the Australian Capital Territory which already have plastic bag bans in place. Queensland has also committed to a ban from 1 July, 2018.

Each year billions of single-use plastic shopping bags are supplied nationally, with around five million littered in WA alone.

While plastic shopping bags make up a relatively small portion of solid waste and litter, they are not biodegradable and can have devastating impacts on marine wildlife and birds.

Since its announcement, WA's plastic bag ban has been widely supported by the community and industry, including among major retailers which are some of the biggest suppliers of plastic shopping bags.

Major supermarkets Coles, Woolworths and IGA have indicated their intention to ban single-use plastic bags while some WA retailers – including Aldi and Bunnings – already support the ban by not offering single-use plastic bags to customers.

Household views on plastic waste

The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation is working with Boomerang Alliance to help people make the necessary preparations for the ban on 1 July 2018.

A survey of WA households in November 2017 found that most people (more than 90%) are concerned about the impacts of plastic on our environment and support a state-wide ban on plastic bags (84 %).

The results of the community survey have been summarised in the Boomerang Alliance report.

For more information and to receive email updates on the development of the WA  plastic bag ban, please