The Greens are urging the ACT government to commit to a wide-ranging ban on single-use plastics by 2022.
The government has this year been consulting with Canberrans on a proposal to ban a range of single-use plastics, including straws and stirrers, disposable coffee cups, foam containers and lightweight fruit and vegetable bags.
Sanitary items, nappies, plastic bottles, and reusable bags are not being considered as part of the proposed ban.
City Services Minister Chris Steel has previously described the level of plastics use in Canberra as "unsustainable", declaring the community can "no longer throw away responsibility for plastics going into landfill".
About 23,000 tonnes of plastic goes to landfill each year in the ACT, according to Mr Steel.
But while the government has forecast a single-use plastics ban, it has yet to make an official commitment, or earmark a date for when it might be introduced.
Greens crossbencher Caroline Le Couteur said the government should start work immediately on an "orderly transition" towards a "single-use-plastic-free future".
Ms Le Couteur said a permanent ban should be in place by 2022, a year before the government's waste management contracts are due to expire.
In addition to the items flagged under the government's proposed ban, Ms Le Couteur said plastic water bottles should also be prohibited in public schools, hospitals and offices.
"Single-use plastic may be convenient to use for a few minutes, but the time, effort and energy that goes into producing this 'throwaway' plastic just doesn't stack up, while the volume of plastic making its way into our oceans and waterways continues to grow every year," she said.
As part of the "orderly transition", the government needed to make sure that it evaluated the impact on consumers of banning particular items, she said.
"An orderly transition, made in consultation with the community, will ensure that no-one is disproportionately impacted by this important shift."
