It’s the end of an era for your sushi lunch. From September 1, South Australia will become the first state in the country to ban soy sauce fish packets. This iconic sushi sidekick is just one item on a shopping list of single-use plastics set to be phased out, alongside fruit stickers, straws and cutlery attached to food and drinks, and prepackaged cups and bowls containing meals.
While they have tiny fins, these fishy soy sauce packets cause big problems for the environment. Sure, they’re made from recyclable polyethylene, but the fish’s small and fiddly shape means most recycling machines can’t actually process them. Many Aussies don’t even bother recycling them, meaning they end up as litter in our oceans, where they can take hundreds of years to break down. Worse still, their fish-like appearance tricks birds and marine animals into thinking they’re food, often with fatal endings.
South Australia has been leading the charge when it comes to sustainability laws in Australia. Back in March 2021, the state rolled out the Single-Use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Act, banning single-use plastic straws, cutlery and beverage stirrers. The government added polystyrene cups, bowls, plates and clamshell containers to the list in 2022, extending the ban to plastic-stemmed cotton buds, pizza savers, and single-use plastic plates and bowls in 2023.
The latest list of banned plastic items, introduced on September 1, 2024, included plastic barrier bags used for unpackaged fruit and veg, bread tags, confetti, balloon ties, single-use coffee cups and lids, and single-use takeaway food containers, among others.
Since 2021, South Australian businesses have removed more than 8 million single-use plastic items from circulation. And while it’s the first state to ban soy sauce fish packets, this is hopefully just the start. Both New South Wales and Tasmania are drafting laws to phase out plastic sauce packaging, with more states to hopefully follow in the coming years.