New South Wales (NSW), Australia, will ban single-use plastics like straws, plastic spoons and forks, and shampoo microbeads to reduce waste. Queensland will also prohibit a number of these goods, including heavyweight plastic shopping bags, starting in September 2023. Beginning on February 1, 2023, Victoria will take action and ban “problematic single-use plastics from sale or supply.” Despite the fast pace of legal changes, Australia still has a long way to go in its efforts to control its plastic trash problem. According to Shane Cucow, manager of the Australian Marine Conservation Society’s plastics campaign, Australia’s national target for recycling plastic packaging is 70%, but the current rate is only 16%. However, NSW’s environment minister, James Griffi, says that the restrictions in his state will “prevent 2.7 billion items of plastic litter from entering the environment over the next 20 years.” Positive news was reported by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in June. It shows a 29% decrease in coastal plastic pollution since 2013.