WA Plastic Straw Ban Rules

WA’s plastic straw ban applies to hospitality venues that supply single-use plastic straws, including many compostable plastic straws. Sugarcane-fibre straws are a different material: they are made from bagasse, contain no plastic, have no lining, and are PFAS-free. EcoGreen Supplies sugarcane straws are certified commercially compostable, so they are a compliant option for WA cafes, bars, restaurants and bubble tea shops that need bulk straws behind the counter.

What WA venues need to know

WA’s Stage 1 plastics ban took effect in 2022 and included plastic drinking straws. For a venue, the practical point is simple: do not treat “compostable plastic” as a safe default substitute. WA restrictions also capture compostable plastic straws, because they are still plastic.

Sugarcane fibre is not a compostable plastic. It is a plant fibre made from bagasse, the fibrous material left after sugarcane is processed. EcoGreen Supplies straws are 100% sugarcane fibre, plastic-free, PFAS-free and made without a lining.

That material difference matters for procurement. A straw can look like a paper or plastic straw from a distance, but the compliance question is what it is made from. If your staff, manager or council contact asks, the answer is not “bioplastic”; it is sugarcane fibre.

Are sugarcane straws allowed under the WA plastic straw ban?

Sugarcane-fibre straws are designed to avoid the problem WA’s plastic straw rules target. They are not conventional plastic and they are not compostable plastic. They are fibre-based straws made from bagasse.

EcoGreen Supplies sugarcane straws are certified commercially compostable and break down in about 90 days in a commercial composting facility. They are not certified home compostable, and we do not describe them that way. That distinction is important when you are writing a venue policy or responding to a customer question.

If your venue separates organics through a commercial composting service, ask the service whether it accepts certified commercially compostable sugarcane-fibre straws. Compostability certification does not mean every waste contractor will accept every item in every bin. The rule for staff should follow your actual waste arrangement, not a generic sign near the bin.

Choosing the right straw for a WA menu

A mixed venue usually needs more than one straw type. A short cocktail straw is not useful for a tall iced coffee, and a regular straw is not suitable for pearls in bubble tea. Buying the correct format reduces complaints and avoids staff improvising with the wrong stock.

Regular Sugarcane Straws are 6mm x 200mm and suit water, soft drinks, juice, iced coffee and standard mixed drinks. They are sold in 2,500 pcs for $70.00 or 5,000 pcs for $135.00. You can view the regular option at Regular Sugarcane Straws.

Cocktail Sugarcane Straws are 6mm x 140mm and suit short drinks, tastings, bar service and venues that do not want a full-length straw in every glass. They are sold in 2,500 pcs for $55.00 or 5,000 pcs for $110.00. They are a better fit for short glassware than cutting or bending a longer straw.

Jumbo Sugarcane Straws are 8mm x 200mm and suit thicker drinks where a standard straw feels tight, such as smoothies and some frappes. They are sold in 2,500 pcs for $100.00 or 5,000 pcs for $195.00. For very large inclusions or pearls, use a bubble tea straw instead of trying to make a jumbo straw do that job.

Bubble Tea Straws are 12mm x 220mm and are available wrapped or unwrapped. Individually Wrapped Bubble Tea Straws are sold in 1,800 pcs for $165.00, and unwrapped Bubble Tea Straws are sold in 1,800 pcs for $160.00. See the unwrapped option at Bubble Tea Straws if your staff serve from a counter dispenser or back-of-house box.

Will they hold up in drinks?

EcoGreen Supplies sugarcane straws hold up for 4+ hours in hot and cold drinks without going soggy. That is the main operating reason venues move away from paper straws. A straw that collapses halfway through a drink creates more work at the counter and more customer pushback.

They are still a fibre product, not a hard plastic tube. They are not intended to be chewed for hours, reused across multiple drinks, or treated as a stirrer for dense product in a blender cup. For normal dine-in, takeaway and bar service, the useful test is whether the straw lasts longer than the drink.

Hot drinks are also covered by the same 4+ hour performance statement. Some venues use straws for hot beverages such as takeaway hot chocolate or specialty drinks, while others avoid straws in hot drinks for safety or service reasons. Your staff policy should match the way you serve the drink.

Compostable does not mean home compostable

EcoGreen Supplies sugarcane straws are certified commercially compostable. In a commercial composting facility, they break down in about 90 days. That is the composting claim we stand behind.

They are not certified home compostable. A backyard compost heap, a worm farm and a commercial composting facility are not the same environment. If a customer asks, it is better to say “commercially compostable” than to overstate the claim.

Commercial composting is also separate from landfill. We do not claim a specific landfill breakdown time. If the straw goes into general waste, the environmental outcome depends on the waste system, not only on the material.

Ordering from WA

EcoGreen Supplies ships Australia-wide from NSW through the One World Courier network. Standard delivery is three to seven business days, and express delivery is one to three business days. WA venues should order with enough buffer for rostering, public holidays and stock already opened behind the counter.

Freight is quoted live at checkout from the carrier’s real rates and charged at cost, with no markup. There is no flat shipping rate and no free-shipping threshold. Sugarcane straws are light but bulky, so freight is often driven by carton volume rather than weight.

Free warehouse pickup is available for venues or buyers who can collect from NSW. For WA operators, courier delivery is normally the practical route. If you are ordering for more than one site, it is worth checking whether a single bulk order or separate site orders suits your receiving process better.

You can review carton quantities and current bulk options at Bulk Orders. If you are comparing straw types before changing over your venue, the product pages are usually the clearest place to start because they show the case size, dimensions and whether the straw is wrapped.

A simple compliance check for managers

Before you approve any straw for a WA venue, ask what it is made from, not only whether it says compostable. Compostable plastic can still be caught by WA restrictions. Sugarcane fibre is a fibre-based alternative, not a plastic alternative with a compostable label.

Then check whether the straw suits the drink list. Use 6mm x 200mm regular straws for most standard drinks, 6mm x 140mm cocktail straws for short drinks, 8mm x 200mm jumbo straws for thicker drinks, and 12mm x 220mm bubble tea straws for pearls and large inclusions. The right size prevents avoidable service problems.

Finally, write the staff wording plainly. “These are sugarcane-fibre straws, not plastic or compostable plastic. They are commercially compostable, not home compostable.” That gives front-of-house staff a clear answer without asking them to interpret the regulations during service.

If you need help choosing between regular, jumbo and bubble tea sizes, email [email protected] with your drink list and how you serve it. A practical recommendation is better than ordering one straw type and discovering it only suits half the menu.