South Australian packaging laws for hospitality operators

What's banned, restricted or conditional

AS 4736 vs AS 5810

Compostable vs biodegradable

These two words get used as if they mean the same thing, and they do not. Compostable means the product has been tested and certified against a defined Australian Standard — AS 4736 for commercial composting, AS 5810 for home composting — so there is a verified result at the end of the process. Biodegradable only says something breaks down through microbial action eventually; there is no required standard for how long it takes, what it leaves behind, or whether the output is usable compost. When a rule or a council collection asks for compostable, biodegradable is not a substitute.

Operator questions we get asked

Is my current packaging still legal?

It depends on what it is and when you bought it. If you are still using plastic cups, lids, plastic ready-to-eat food containers, barrier bags or small plastic condiment containers, those categories have been captured by the SA bans since September 2024 and September 2025. If you switched to compostable stock, the question is whether it carries Australian Standard certification and the required labelling — from 1 March 2026 only Australian Standard compostability certifications are accepted for compostable beverage cups, food containers and their lids. Send us what you are using and we will tell you plainly what looks fine and what does not.

What does AS 4736 certified actually mean?

AS 4736 is the Australian Standard for plastics that are suitable for commercial or industrial composting. Products verified against it under the Australasian Bioplastics Association's Commercial Compostable Verification Programme carry the ABA Seedling logo. It means the product has been independently tested to break down in industrial composting conditions — it does not mean it will break down in a home compost bin, in a landfill, or in the environment.

My supplier says our cups are EN 13432 or ASTM D6400 certified. Is that enough in SA?

Not on its own. Those are the European and American compostability standards, and TÜV marks are private certification schemes. South Australia's labelling requirements are built around the Australian Standards, and from 1 March 2026 only Australian Standard compostability certifications are accepted for compostable beverage cups and food containers and their lids. Ask your supplier for evidence of AS 4736 or AS 5810 certification, not just an overseas mark.

What about plastic-lined paper cups?

Single-use plastic cups for hot and cold beverages and their lids and plugs have been banned since 1 September 2024, and the EPA publishes a beverage cup guide that determines whether a specific cup — including plastic-lined or coated paper cups — falls inside that definition. Because the classification turns on the exact lining and certification of the product, we do not make blanket claims here. Send us the spec sheet for the cup you use and we will check it against the current guidance rather than guess.

Does “biodegradable” or “plant-based” mean compliant?

No. Neither term is a certification. Compostable means tested and certified against AS 4736 (commercial) and/or AS 5810 (home); biodegradable simply means something breaks down over time, with no defined standard for how long it takes, what it leaves behind, or whether the result is usable compost. Oxo-degradable plastics are banned in SA outright, whatever their packaging claims, because they fragment into microplastics instead of composting.