In an ideal world, we’d never have to look at a plastic packaged food again. Unfortunately plastic won’t magically disappear from our lives (as much as we want it to!) It may require a little more effort than we can muster up some days.

So this week, we asked ourselves the question: “Is it really possible to do a grocery shop without plastic even if we were really, really trying?”

We have partnered with Upcycle 4 Better, an international textile end-of-use organisation, to collect ALL kinds of shoes to be reworn, recycled, repaired or reprocessed.

Every Sunday morning at Alphington Farmers Market, Amelia sets up the Project Pair Up table next to where visitors return their plates and cups after use.

The Project Pair Up table features:

A bucket to donate your lids and containers that have lost it’s other half

A bucket of free to take home reassembled containers

Buckets of lids and containers that need to be paired up

We have partnered with APR Plastics to bring a new soft plastic recycling initiative to our councils. From the 31st of July, we are collecting soft plastics from residents doorsteps in Burwood, Penrith and Waverley Councils.

Here’s some inspiring news to appreciate this beautiful country of ours.

Grandparents offer to buy every child in flood-affected Moulamein, NSW a Christmas present.

Indigenous Rangers Lead The Way In Discoveries Of Elusive Night Parrot.

Karoonda farmer dedicates retirement to regenerating dry, arid land

Eco Barge volunteer initiative sees 243,000kg marine waste removed from Whitsundays

The plastic crisis leaves most of us feeling a little depressed, wondering how on earth we’re going to be able to do something about it.

We’ve seen the devastating impacts of single use plastics, we’ve bought our keep cups and we opt for the unpackaged fruit and vegetables at the supermarket. We want solutions and we want them fast.

As the kids go back to school soon and a lot of people return to work, it’s the time to get organised again. We love a fresh start at the top of the year; a brand new diary, a pen full of ink or a crisp notebook. But the most sustainable way to start the year is…

The holiday period usually leads to overflowing recycling bins. Bottles of beer from Christmas lunch and all those cardboard boxes that piled up from buying presents online.

You won’t have to jump on the recycling bin to squish more in this year. We have a special Christmas gift: we’ll take cardboard from the smaller gift boxes AND the clunky cardboard that doesn’t even fit in the bin! 

Fill up any shopping bag you have at home with your dry, uncrushed cans and bottles. We will donate the refund to a charity.

Empty cans or bottles accepted through the ‘return and earn’ systems are guaranteed to be recycled into cans and bottles again. Look for the 10c label on the container to see if it is eligible.

We’re spreading the Christmas cheer this year by collecting toys from your doorstep to donate to the Refugee and Asylum Seeker Toy Drive. (RASTD)

RASTD has a detailed knowledge of the immigration sector, they work collaboratively with community development partners to distribute toys out to the 10,000 refugee and asylum seeker children in Australia, many of whom have never had a toy before.

It’s here! We’ve been so excited about National Recycling Week all year. Planet Ark established the campaign in 1996, with the purpose of this week being to “empower people to do the right thing at the bin.”

Recycling becomes more difficult once we leave the house, as we have to hope there are recycling bins available where we go. People are more likely to use recycling bins if they are in convenient locations, so encouraging your workplace to place accessible bins around is the first step.

The birth of online shopping in the 90s meant that fast fashion retailers like H&M, Zara and Topshop became the most convenient place to find trendy clothing. They were able to reproduce popular elements from the runway quickly and cheaply. 

We don’t really think about our bedrooms when we’re thinking about recycling. But did you know that the fashion industry is the second largest polluter after oil and gas?

Here’s a few things we found on how decluttering actually improves your mental health!

Decluttering can decrease stress. Clutter can overwhelm your senses and reminds you of work to be done. By decluttering, you regain control over your environment.

How many plastic bottles are hiding in that laundry cupboard? Full of cleaning products we hardly use?

Cleaning products (like disinfectant spray) can most likely be recycled in your kerbside bin.

We’re back with some good news from our area to spice up your conversation with your barista or at your next dinner party.

Limits on Australian polluters for greenhouse gas emissions

New South wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has released their draft policy which will set up targets and enforceable emissions limits for polluters on greenhouse gas emissions, such as mining and agriculture.

In Shark Bay, groups of four to 14 males have been spotted performing synchronised movements and displays whilst singing in unison to attract females. Shark Bay is a World Heritage Site, as it’s a wildlife refuge with the largest seagrass bank in the world. Seagrass absorbs 10% of the ocean’s carbon each year, making Shark Bay an environmental oasis and crucial ecosystem.

The kitchen is the place that contributes the most to the landfill and recycling bins. It’s difficult to avoid food packaging.

If you can, shopping at farmers markets or bulk food stores are a great way to buy locally sourced, unpackaged food. However, this isn’t easy for everyone to do every week. (As always, we encourage you to choose what works best for you!)

To mark the end of Plastic Free July, we’ve partnered with two of our favourite sustainable Australian brands to offer a chance for you and a friend to win a bundle of items to make your beach clean-ups extra stylish.