MyWaste launches Single-Use Plastics Campaign

Retailers across Ireland are being encouraged to take the final step in fully eliminating banned single-use plastic (SUP) items for sale and supply as MyWaste, Ireland’s official guide to managing your waste, has launched a new national awareness Single-Use Plastics Campaign aimed at supporting full sector compliance. Retailers are reminded that it is illegal to place the following single-use plastic items on the Irish market:

• Plastic cutlery (forks, knives, spoons)
• Plastic chopsticks
• Plastic plates
• Plastic straws
• Plastic drink stirrers
• Plastic balloon sticks/rods
• Plastic cotton bud sticks
• Expanded polystyrene food and drinks containers (“Styrofoam”)
• Oxo-degradable plastic products (Conventional plastics containing additives that cause them to break into microplastics rather than biodegrade)

MyWaste’s Single-Use Plastics campaign, running to 10th May 2026, is designed to support retailers in completing the final phase of compliance by fully removing any remaining banned SUP items from stock and supply chains, while driving nationwide engagement and reinforcing a unified, sector-wide commitment. The campaign is backed by key retail industry bodies including Retail Ireland, part of the IBEC group, Convenience Stores & Newsagents Association (CSNA), Retail Excellence Ireland and Retail Grocery Dairy & Allied Trades Association(RGDATA).

The research, conducted by Empathy Research, on behalf of MyWaste, highlights the Irish retail sector that has already made significant progress. The vast majority of businesses report that banned items have now been significantly removed from circulation, with just 8% of businesses saying they have been offered banned single-use plastics by suppliers, and only 4% reporting recent purchases. This indicates that the transition away from these products is well advanced across the Irish market.

While purchasing and stocking behaviours of retailers are largely positive, awareness of the EU regulations, transposed into Irish law in 2021, remains low, with close to 50% of retailers being aware that certain SUP items are banned. However, the findings also show that sustainable alternatives have become standard practice in retail operations. More than seven in ten businesses (71%) now provide non-plastic alternatives to straws, while two-thirds (66%) offer alternatives to plastic cutlery, demonstrating widespread adoption of compliant, environmentally friendly options across the sector.

At the centre of the campaign is a newly developed and free to download Retailer Self-Audit Checklist, a practical guide designed to help businesses review existing stock, identify any non-compliant products, and take straightforward steps towards full compliance. Retailers are also encouraged to show their commitment to eliminating Single Use Plastics by displaying the campaign pledge badge in-store and online.

Retailers, wholesalers and suppliers are being encouraged to take three simple actions as part of the campaign:

• Download and complete the Self-Audit Checklist from MyWaste.ie (Link to download toolkit)
• Identify and remove any remaining banned single-use plastic items
• Display the campaign digital badge