Food Packaging Regulations in Australia: What Every Café and Restaurant Needs to Know

Australia’s food packaging regulations are tightening. If you run a café, restaurant or food service business, understanding what’s required — and what’s changing — protects you from compliance risk and future-proofs your packaging spend.

Single-Use Plastic Bans Across Australia

Most Australian states and territories have now banned or are phasing out specific single-use plastic items:

• Victoria: Banned single-use plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates and expanded polystyrene food containers.

• NSW, QLD, SA, WA, TAS, ACT, NT: Similar bans in place, with each state having slightly different scope and timelines. Check your state EPA website for the latest.

What’s Still Permitted — and What’s Coming

Single-use paper cups with plastic linings are currently still permitted in most states, but compostable alternatives are strongly encouraged under state sustainability frameworks. As more councils adopt food organics recycling programs, aqueous coated cups — which are accepted in commercial composting — are becoming the standard.

Certifications to Look For

• AS 4736: Industrial/commercial composting certification

• AS 5810: Home composting certification

• FSC: Forest Stewardship Council certification for sustainably sourced wood-based products

Equosafe’s range is designed to help Australian food businesses stay ahead of packaging regulations.

How Equosafe Helps You Stay Compliant

Equosafe’s full product range — aqueous coated coffee cups, kraft paper bags, sugarcane meal trays, wooden cutlery, and compostable bowls — is designed to replace banned or soon-to-be-restricted single-use plastics. We connect you with the right local distributor who can advise on what’s compliant for your state.

Contact us at info@equosafe.com.au for compliance guidance and product recommendations.