The Greens are calling on the federal coalition government to follow South Australia's lead and ban plastic cutlery, straws and drink stirrers.
The Liberal state government is drafting legislation for public discussion to ban single-use plastics in South Australia and hopes to introduce laws next year.
"SA is continuing to lead the nation and set the agenda in recyclables and waste management," state Environment Minister David Speirs told the Adelaide Advertiser.
"We led the way with our container-deposit scheme, we were ahead of the pack on plastic bag reform, and now we will lead the country on single-use plastics."
The state will later move to ban polystyrene cups and polystyrene takeaway containers, but no decision has been made yet on plastic bags, coffee cups and plastic takeaway containers.
South Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says this is a really good move by the Marshall state government and is to be congratulated.
"I call on (Prime Minister) Scott Morrison to follow South Australia's lead," she told reporters in Adelaide on Saturday.
"Across the country we need to be phasing out single-use plastics and getting serious about waste reduction and recycling."
She said Australia has been dumping its plastics in the Asia-Pacific region for far too long.
She will be writing to the prime minister on the issue and says the Greens will be introducing a bill into the Senate to ban single-use plastics when the upper house next sits in late July.
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