Food & Climate
The South Australian government has banned the small fish-shaped soy sauce bottles, commonly served with takeaway sushi and bento meals, which were invented by a Japanese businessman in the 1950s, as part of its efforts to reduce the use of single-use plastics.
The soy sauce bottles were added on Monday to the list of prohibited single-use plastic products, which also include disposable straws.
The state authorities claim that fish-shaped soy sauce, which usually hold 2 to 3 milliliters and are often discarded rather than recycled, contribute to ocean pollution.
The authorities also said the bottles pose a risk to wild animals, which may mistake them for food, according to a report seen by “Food & Climate” platform.
Single-use plastics last a lifetime in our natural environment
“Single-use plastics are often used for seconds but they last a lifetime in our natural environment,” Susan Close, environment minister for South Australia, said in a statement.
The authorities have instructed food companies and restaurants to provide refillable bottles on tables and to replace takeaway bottles with small pouches or other containers.
Fish-shaped soy sauce containers were invented in the 1950s by Japanese entrepreneur Teruo Watanabe, who founded Asahi Sogyo, a food-related materials-maker based in Osaka Prefecture. Their use spread as Japanese food became popular abroad.
Australians produced 3.2m tonnes of plastic waste in 2023-24, up from 3m tonnes the previous year, according to Australian plastics flows and fates data.
About 39% of the nation’s plastic waste was from packaging.
The data, collected since 2000, showed the total amount of plastic waste had doubled since 2005 (from 1.57m tonnes) but recycling rates had barely shifted despite investments in increased capacity.
Global plastics treaty
Australia joined more than 100 countries seeking a global plastics treaty to reduce pollution throughout the life cycle of plastic products, but negotiations failed last August.
In 2023-24 the plastics recovery rate was 14.1% compared with 14.7% in 2005, with the majority of material still being sent to landfill in Australia.
“We can’t recycle our way out of this,” said Gayle Sloan, the chief executive of the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia. “It’s a supply chain challenge, not just a waste challenge.
“If you don’t design well and you don’t buy back, we cannot solve this.”
However, beaches in Australia are now almost 40% cleaner than they were just a decade ago. Scientists did a study of beaches around 6 cities from Hobart in Tasmania to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. In total, they found a 39% drop in plastic waste and a 16% rise in places with no plastic waste at all.
Beaches across Australia are significantly cleaner than they were a decade ago, thanks to a sustained national effort to reduce plastic pollution.
Australia is aiming to cut plastic waste by 80% by 2030. To reach this goal, the country has introduced more public bins, launched anti-littering campaigns, and created hotlines to report illegal dumping. Container-deposit schemes reward people for returning plastic containers, and several states have already banned or are phasing out single-use plastics.
Clean Up Australia Day, held on the first Sunday of March, mobilizes communities for hands-on cleanup activities. Australia’s efforts align with the Global Plastic Action Partnership, a platform involving 25 national partners and 1.5 billion people. This initiative works to turn international commitments on plastic waste into real, measurable progress.
Related topics
Single-use plastic, developing an alternative that is biodegradable in the oceans