New Zealand - Guidance on Plastic Products Banned from Mid 2025

​Ministry of the Environment of New Zealand published a proposed regulations for tranche 3 on February 17 - Descriptions of hard-to-recycle plastics to be phased out in mid-2025 - All other PVC and polystyrene food and drink packaging. These decision are still subject to refinement and subject to final Cabinet decisions on the wording of those regulations.

PVC and polystyrene food and beverage packaging is tray containers (either with a lid or without a lid), e.g. packet, bowl, cup film or wrap sold as packaging that contains food and beverage products or with the purpose of containing of such products for sale are proposed to be phased out in mid-2025. Common examples are biscuit trays and containers, yoghurt and some diary pottles, etc.

More information on these proposed regulations will be available from late-2023.

New Zealand banned the following single-use plastics (SUPs) from October 1, 2022:

​- PVC food trays and containers, limited to pre-formed trays used for produce, baked goods and meat
- Polystyrene takeaway food and drink packaging
- Expanded polystyrene food and drink packaging
- Plastic with pro-degradant additives, e.g. oxo and photo degradable plastics
- Plastic drink stirrers
- Plastic stemmed cotton buds​

And more SUPs will be banned from July 1:

​- Plastic produce bags
- Plastic plates, bowl and cutlery
- Plastic straws