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Tiny fish-shaped soy sauce bottles are the latest casualty in Australia’s fight against waste, outlawed by single-use plastic laws that took effect on Monday.
In its “Replace the Waste” guidance, South Australia’s government said the rules target single-serve soy sauce containers under 30 milliliters, most often shaped like fish but sometimes pigs, rectangles or other novelty designs.
The ban applies to all rigid plastic condiment containers with lids under that size, commonly handed out with takeaway meals.
Along with soy sauce fish, the state extended the ban to single-use straws and cutlery attached to food or drink containers, such as straws on juice boxes.
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South Australia, beginning Sept. 1, 2025, is banning single-use plastic, fish-shaped soy sauce containers often provided with takeout orders. (Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Expanded polystyrene cups and bowls, such as those used for instant noodles, were also banned, aligning South Australia with New South Wales and Victoria.
Still permitted are plastic lollipop sticks, large soy dispensers, sachets and squeeze packs of soy sauce, and coated paper cups and bowls for instant meals.
South Australia passed the country’s first Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Act in 2020, acknowledging plastic’s role in daily life but stressing that how it is produced, used and discarded wastes resources and harms the environment.
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Plastic bags have long been targeted as harmful to the environment. (iStock / iStock)
“South Australians are committed to the environment and want action on single-use plastic products,” the state said on its site. “By avoiding waste and shifting to reusable or recyclable options, we can ensure the best environmental outcome for our ‘clean and green’ state.”
The state adopted a phased approach starting March 1, 2021, when single-use plastic straws, cutlery and stirrers were first banned.
In 2022, the state banned expanded polystyrene cups, bowls, plates and clamshell containers common in takeout, along with oxo-degradable plastic products.
Since then, South Australia has also banned items including plastic-stemmed cotton buds, pizza savers, barrier bags, thick supermarket bags, single-use food containers, plastic confetti and food bag tags.
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South Australia has banned single-use plastic straws. (iStock / iStock)
States and municipalities across the U.S. have imposed their own single-use plastic bans, targeting items like straws and plastic bags.
While Australia tightens restrictions, the U.S. appears to be moving in the opposite direction.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending the “procurement and forced use of paper straws.”
The order directed the federal government to stop purchasing paper straws and ensure they are no longer offered in federal buildings.
The order also required a “National Strategy” to end the use of paper straws within 45 days and “alleviate the forced use of paper straws nationwide.”
According to the White House, paper straws are more expensive than plastic straws and use chemicals that may carry risks to human health.
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Several Democrat-run states, including California, Colorado, New York, Maine, Oregon, Vermont, Rhode Island and Washington, have bans or restrictions on single-use plastic straws.
Some of those states currently have laws limiting the use of single-use plastic straws in full-service restaurants unless requested by the customer.
