South Australia to Eliminate Iconic Fish-Shaped Soy Sauce Containers

Sat Sep 13 2025 14:15:17 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a significant move to combat plastic pollution, South Australia will begin banning fish-shaped soy sauce containers, effective September 1st. This ban is part of a broader initiative to reduce single-use plastics and protect the environment.

South Australia is set to ban the widely recognized fish-shaped soy sauce dispensers in a bid to reduce plastic pollution. The decision follows previous legislation that tackled various single-use plastics. The government aims to cut carbon emissions and safeguard marine life, as these containers pose recycling challenges due to their small size. While the ban will impact the container's distribution, larger bottles and sachets of soy sauce will remain available for consumers.

South Australia is taking a bold step in the fight against plastic pollution by banning the iconic fish-shaped soy sauce containers starting September 1st, 2025. The decision is part of a larger legislative effort targeting single-use plastics.

These iconic containers, commonly found in Asian restaurants worldwide, are known for their temporary use, yet they can remain in the environment for decades or even centuries. South Australia's Environment Minister, Susan Close, remarked on the wastefulness of these containers, noting that while they are utilized for just seconds, their environmental impact lasts much longer.

Under the new regulations, businesses and retailers in South Australia will no longer be allowed to sell or distribute pre-filled 30ml soy sauce containers that feature a lid, cap, or stopper. This move builds on previous laws enacted in 2023 that banned other single-use plastics such as carrier bags, straws, and drink stirrers.

According to the South Australian government, these measures are essential to reducing pollution, cutting carbon emissions, and protecting marine life. Even though fish-shaped soy sauce containers are made from recyclable plastic, their small size often makes them hard to process in recycling machines, resulting in many of them being improperly disposed of.

Originating in Japan in 1954, these containers were initially made from ceramic or glass before transitioning to plastic. They have become a popular choice for serving soy sauce with sushi. However, consumers can still enjoy soy sauce, as larger soy sauce bottles and sachets remain unaffected by this ban.

Experts predict that without urgent action against plastic waste, the annual influx of plastics into the ocean may triple by 2040, reaching 29 million metric tons per year. A global comparison regarding plastic waste management ranked Australia 7th among 25 nations for its efforts to control plastic pollution.