Packaging rule · New Zealand · Ban
Plastic phase-outs (stages 1 and 2)
Ban covering plastic, single-use plastic in New Zealand, set by Ministry for the Environment. Applies since 1 October 2022.
The rule
Recorded from the official source named below. Rates and dates are as the source states them on the date it was consulted.
- Jurisdiction
- New Zealand
- Authority
- Ministry for the Environment
- Rule type
- Ban
- Materials
- Plastic, Single-use plastic
- Status
- In force Enacted
- Adopted or published
- 1 October 2022
- Applies from
- 1 October 2022
From the source“Guidance on plastic products banned from 1 October 2022”
Official source Ministry for the Environment: Plastic phase-outOfficial (government or regulator) · consulted 13 October 2026
Key dates
Adopted or published 4 years ago
Applies from 4 years ago
Source consulted by the SPI team today
What it means
SPI analysis Our reading of the official source above. Not legal advice; always rely on the official text.
SPI summary
Hard-to-recycle and single-use plastic products are banned in stages: the first group from 1 October 2022 and the second group from July 2023, under waste minimisation regulations.
In practice
New Zealand's Waste Minimisation (Plastic and Related Products) Regulations 2022 bar the sale and manufacture of listed hard-to-recycle and single-use plastics, applying to manufacturers, importers, wholesalers and retailers, including items given away free. The first group, including PVC food trays and containers and polystyrene takeaway packaging, applied from 1 October 2022. The second group from 1 July 2023 covers produce bags, plates, bowls, cutlery, straws and produce labels, with compostable plastic alternatives also banned except for produce labels.
Who is in scope
- From 1 October 2022: PVC food trays and containers, polystyrene and EPS food and drink packaging, plastics with pro-degradant additives, drink stirrers and cotton buds
- From 1 July 2023: single-use plastic straws, cutlery, plates, bowls, trays and platters without lids, produce bags and non-home-compostable produce labels
- Manufacturers, importers, wholesalers, retailers and hospitality businesses
Who is not
- Takeaway containers with lids, such as sandwich triangles or bowls with lids
- Fibre-based tableware with a plastic or bioplastic lining
- Pre-packaged produce, and bags for deli meats, seafood, cheese or nuts
- Produce labels on export produce
- Straws supplied on request to people who need them
What to do and by when
- NowCheck New Zealand supply for PVC trays, polystyrene packaging and lidless plastic tableware.
- NowCheck that straws attached to beverage packaging are no longer supplied, as the guidance flags from 1 January 2026.
- 1 July 2028Plan home-compostable produce labels, including adhesive, if the proposed extension is confirmed.
Related rules
- PR-NZ-002 Stage 3 plastic phase-out (PVC and polystyrene food and drink packaging)
Planned third stage on PVC and polystyrene packaging, deadline removed. - PR-CA-001 Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations (SOR/2022-138)
Comparable national ban on single-use plastic items in Canada. - PR-EU-014 SUP Directive: ban on single-use plastic cutlery, plates, straws and EPS containers
EU single-use plastics bans on similar items. - PR-AU-001 2025 National Packaging Targets
Australia's voluntary targets include phasing out problematic single-use plastic packaging.
Where the record is unclear
- Whether the produce label deadline was formally moved from 1 July 2025 to 1 July 2028: guidance says Cabinet agreed the change, and Cabinet papers of late 2025 cover amendments, but amended regulations were not confirmed.
- The main phase-out page has not been updated since 18 December 2024.
Sources for this note
- Ministry for the Environment: Plastic phase-out Consulted 13 October 2026
- Ministry for the Environment: Guidance on single-use plastic products banned or phased out from July 2023 Consulted 13 October 2026
- Ministry for the Environment: Plastics ban guide for business factsheet 2023 Consulted 13 October 2026
- Ministry for the Environment: Plastic and Related Products Regulations 2022 Consulted 13 October 2026
- Ministry for the Environment: Amendments to waste minimisation regulations for tyres and plastic products Consulted 13 October 2026
Note written by the SPI team on 13 October 2026.
Where it sits in the tracker
- One of 2 packaging rules we track in New Zealand, of which 2 are ban rules.
- In all, 17 ban rules are tracked across 11 jurisdictions. Compare them below
Company profiles that map to this rule
Companies whose SPI profile lists this rule in its regulatory exposure, based on where they report selling. Not company-reported.
Change history
Sourced: an SPI analyst recorded the facts above from the official source. A second SPI team member has not re-checked it yet. Every change is logged here.
Changed: rate note
Verified by a second SPI team member
Changed: quote
Added to the tracker
Spotted an error? Write to sales@strategicpackaginginsights.com quoting PR-NZ-001 and the source. Corrections are logged in this history.
Ban rules elsewhere
The same type of rule for the same materials in other jurisdictions, by the date it applies.
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