The countdown is on to the next phase of South Australia’s single-use plastics ban, with a Mount Gambier retailer saying the local community had already started to embrace it.

From March 1 expanded polystyrene cups, bowls, plates and clam-shell containers as well as oxo-degradable plastic products will be banned.

The first stage of the ban, which started in March last year, saw South Australia become the first state in Australia to ban plastic drinking straws, stirrers and cutlery from sale, supply or distribution.

J.O Berkefeld’s Matthew Berkefeld said the community had embraced the change with most businesses having already switched over to environmentally friendly packaging.

“As we saw in phase one of the ban a lot of businesses are choosing on their own to make the switch, so they have already had the alternatives in place,” he said.

“We do still sell the plastic products but hardly any at all.

“When the second phase was announced a lot of people changed over straight away instead of waiting for the ban to take place.”

Mr Berkefeld said the initial reason people have chosen foam and plastic packaging in the past was because it has been the most cost-effective solution.

“Now that environmentally friendly packaging is more accepted and widely used it is more competitive price wise. It is still more expensive, but the gap is not as big anymore,” he said.

“I think what the South Australian Government is doing is a good thing and we support it. It is just a matter of educating our customers as to what they can and cannot use in regard to single use and multi-use plastic containers.

“In my opinion this is only the beginning and there will be more of these types of bans in the future. The changes are already in progress and that is a trend that is only going to continue.”