Local businesses are adjusting and making the transition to more sustainable and recyclable materials.
Thai Orchid owner Graeme Murphy said it was all about finding alternatives at the Shepparton restaurant without inconveniencing the customer.
“We’ve had to change materials to things that are more recyclable, which has been difficult, as they tend to be more expensive,” he said.
“It’s been hard to track down quality alternatives without affecting our bottom line.”
Mr Murphy said he just had to persist and keep looking.
“A lot of discount stores actually have unique products from quality brands and the mainstream supermarkets have cheaper and poorer quality alternatives,” he said.
“We had to find something better than those paper straws.
“The most important thing is not letting it affect the quality of our products or our customer experience.”
This ban builds on the Victorian Government’s ban on plastic shopping bags in 2019, and a $515 million investment to transform the waste and recycling system and divert 80 per cent of waste from landfill by 2030.
As part of this transformation, Victoria will move to a standardised four-stream bin system and have access to a container deposit scheme, which will maximise the return of used drink cans, bottles and cartons for recycling.
Since the ban was announced in February 2021, the government has delivered $595,000 in grants to 15 pilot sites, including catering businesses, universities and aged care facilities to help replace their single-use items with reusable alternatives.
