Guide to the ban on plastic containers for condiments

The following guide provides updated information on the ban on single-use plastic food containers for condiments provided with ready-to-eat food.

At a glance

These bans commenced on 1 September 2024:

Ban on single-use plastic food containers for condiments (e.g. sauces) provided with ready-to-eat food and packaged in the container on the retail premises at which the ready-to-eat food is sold.

The following exemptions will apply for:

Australian Standard (AS) certified compostable food containers and their lids when used for condiments provided with ready-to-eat food and packaged in the container on the retail premises at which the ready-to-eat food is sold.

There will be temporary exemptions until 28 February 2026 for:

Food containers that have application pending decision for AS compostable certification and have not yet completed the process
Food containers and their lids certified to ATSM D6400 (US Standard), EN 13432, TUV OK compost INDUSTRIAL or TUV OK compost HOME used for condiments provided with ready-to-eat food and packaged in the container on the retail premises at which the ready-to-eat food is sold.

There are two other temporary exemptions in place:

Until 28 February 2026 for:

a single-use plastic container (of any shape) with the capacity of 500ml or less, that has a lid (whether separate or attached to the container) and is used for retail sale of potatoes, gravy or peas (whether separately or in combination with one another) intended to be provided to a customer at a temperature of above 60°C

Until 31 August 2029 for:

single-use plastic transparent square or rectangular food containers with a detachable transparent lid, both of which are made wholly from polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Additional bans commence on 1 September 2025 for:

plastic soy sauce containers with a lid, cap or stopper, containing less than 30ml of soy sauce (including small fish-shaped containers and small rectangular containers).

Condiments (such as sauces, yoghurt, butter, cream, pickles, chutney, and mustard) in single-use plastic food containers provided with ready-to-eat food and packaged in the container on the retail premises at which the ready-to-eat food is sold.

Mixed packaging of conventional PP or PET lids and compostable bases/containers for condiments provided with ready-to-eat food and packaged in the container on the retail premises at which the ready-to-eat food is sold.

Plastic soy sauce containers with a lid, cap or stopper, containing less than 30ml of soy sauce (such as soy sauce fish, small rectangular containers of soy sauce and miniature plastic bottles of soy sauce).

Certified compostable food containers when used for condiments (e.g. sauces) provided with ready-to-eat food and packaged in the container on the retail premises at which the ready-to-eat food is sold.
Sachets of soy sauce and sachets of all other condiments of any size
Squeezy packs of soy sauce and squeezy packs of all other condiments of any size
Containers of all other condiments pre-packaged off-premise
Plastic food or sauce containers used for any other purposes, such as storing baby food, snacks and food preparation.

For assistance identifying compliant alternative food containers for condiments, Plastic Free Places has developed an online database.

Note that the database is not an exhaustive list, and you are encouraged to conduct your own research and due diligence before any purchase.