Showbags overflowing with plastic toys and sweet treats are a staple of any agricultural show and for many kids and parents are a bigger Ekka drawcard than the animals or entertainment.

Key points: Brisbane Exhibition stallholders and organisers are under pressure to adopt more sustainable practices

Brisbane Exhibition stallholders and organisers are under pressure to adopt more sustainable practices Showbag marketing director Emily Williams said the event was moving toward "higher value" products

Showbag marketing director Emily Williams said the event was moving toward "higher value" products Last year more than 240 tonnes of waste were produced from the 10-day event

"It's one of the main reasons we've come today, just to get showbags for everyone — kids, nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters," Ipswich man Jesse Pointon said.

But as the tide turns against single-use plastic, Ekka organisers and stallholders are under growing pressure to reduce their environmental footprint and the amount of plastic destined for landfill.

About 400,000 people are expected to attend the annual 10-day event in Brisbane, purchasing almost 700,000 showbags and producing 240 tonnes of waste.

More than 240 tonnes of waste will be discarded during the Ekka. ( ABC News: Lily Nothling )

Vendors must comply with Queensland Government regulations banning the supply of single-use plastic bags.

Some sellers are going a step further, switching to sturdy carrier bags or longer-lasting alternatives like backpacks, totes and gym bags — although many still come wrapped in plastic.

Showbag marketing director Emily Williams, who oversees dozens of brands, said there was customer demand for more sustainable options.

Emily Williams (right) said the event was moving towards more sustainable products. ( ABC News: Lily Nothling )

"We've moved away a fair bit from some of the cheaper, plastic, gimmicky items and we've moved towards higher value products for our customers, including reusable water bottles, Keep Cups and products like that," she said.

"I think everyone is making a conscious shift and realising that we're going to need to make that shift, particularly over the next five years, if we want our demand to remain as strong."

In decades past, showbags were made of paper, and the first-ever Ekka sample bag was filled with coal.

Two young girls enjoying the showbag offerings at the 1946 RNA Show in Brisbane. ( Supplied: State Library of Queensland )

Some show-goers want to see a return of the paper showbag, but Ms Williams said, for now, that was not viable on a large scale.

"Until that becomes as cost-effective as plastic, it's very hard to offer our consumer the price they want for the value," she said.

Container refund scheme among new sustainable practices

RNA chief executive Brandan Christou said the Ekka was doing its best to be a "responsible event".

"Last year over 240 tonnes of waste were produced from the 10 days of the show," he said.

"It's a really tough thing when you've got this many people at an event, but we have a waste management company that spends a lot of hours trying to recycle and separating waste."

For the first time, the Ekka is running a container refund scheme, encouraging people to cash in their recyclables to raise money for the RNA Foundation.

The show is also urging visitors to stop buying plastic water bottles and fill up at hydration stations across the showgrounds instead.

"Around 400,000 people come to the show every year and if everyone bought bottled water, that would be enough single-use plastic waste to cover the main arena," Michelle Cull from Queensland Urban Utilities said.

The Ekka does not release helium balloons and four years ago started removing them from sale.

Daniel Murray tries to ensure people dispose of their waste responsibly. ( ABC News: Lily Nothling )

Daniel Murray said those restrictions had not stopped the popularity of the Balloon Bust carnival game, which he has operated at the Ekka for the past decade.

"We're pretty straightforward with it — we clean up all our mess every time we leave, but I walk around [the showgrounds] and some people don't," he said.