Queensland's ban on single use plastics starts today

Single-use plastics and polystyrene takeaway containers are now banned in Queensland.

The new law ending the use of plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery and plates was passed in March and comes into effect today.

Queensland is the third Australian state or territory to implement the ban, following the lead of South Australia and Canberra.

READ MORE: All households to get food scraps bin as part of NSW government's move to slash waste

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' government has committed to ban single-use plastics by February 2023, and NSW is expected to also make the move next year.

The Queensland law includes exemptions allowing the sale or supply of plastic straws at healthcare businesses or schools, so people with a disability or medical condition can still access them.

"We also know that some people will need to continue to access some of these products to stay safe and healthy," Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk wrote on Twitter after the law was passed.

"That's why these new laws include important exemptions that recognise the needs of people with a disability, those in aged care, schools and the health sector."

A ban on other products is expected to be considered at a later stage, including coffee cups, takeaway food containers and heavyweight plastic bags.

The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) welcomed the Queensland Government's action, after reports last month of sick and dead baby sea turtles washing up on Queensland beaches after swallowing plastic.

"These life-saving laws are fantastic news for Queensland's turtles, whales and seabirds," Shane Cucow, plastics spokesperson for the AMCS, said earlier this year.

"Sharp, highly likely to be contaminated and commonly found in waterways, plastic straws and cutlery can cause serious injuries.

"They get stuck in airways and cause painful internal injuries and poisoning when eaten."