Whole Kids has chalked up some big wins against the global food giants by weaving values into every aspect of its business, including its packaging. Whole Kids' food pouches are also fully recyclable due to a partnership with Terracycle and Australia Post.

While dental care products cannot be recycled in your usual council recycling programs, a company called TerraCycle does run recycling programs for private homes and primary schools. Households and schools that join the program receive boxes to collect used and cleaned dental product packaging which is then posted back to TerraCycle for recycling.

‘Recycling the unrecyclable’ has become the catch-cry of an organisation which works with brands to educate consumers on how to recycle packaging beyond the traditional realm of cardboard, cans, and bottles. Alison Leader spoke to TerraCycle’s Gemma Kaczerepa.

You’ve probably all heard of the Ban The Bag initiative. It’s a movement to ban plastic bags statewide to reduce the shocking amount of plastic we produce. But premiers are skirting around the issue like a plastic bag in the wind.

It’s our favourite time of the year, Plastic Free July. We focus a lot on minimising waste here at Flora & Fauna. But what can we all Choose To Refuse this July (and beyond) to help minimise waste we produce and reduce plastic in landfill and oceans. Our partnership with TerraCycle ensures all our packaging is recyclable and stays above the ground being useful.

Eurobodalla residents can help the brewing environmental problem caused by coffee capsules by sending them off for free to be recycled.Recycling company TerraCycle offers a range of programs funded by manufacturing companies where residents can ship certain items not accepted in yellow-lidded home recycling bins to be recycled for free. These include oral care products such as toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes, kids’ food pouches, soft plastic mail satchels, beauty product packaging and coffee capsules. Some of the programs even offer reward points that can be redeemed for donations to... wrote journalists from Narooma News

Living waste free, could you do it? Newmummakim blogger is on the path to saying no to plastic all together. I checked in with her to get tips for a greener household. What motivated you? While the 'War on Waste' ABC show was an eye opener, I was aware of the plastic waste epidemic prior to the show. I started early last year when I took notice of the amount of rubbish I was passing when taking my dog for morning walks or runs. The local creek was chock full of plastic bags, lids, straws and coffee cups, it was really upsetting. I decided to start making better use of my walks by picking up the rubbish, to date I’ve collected over 50kgs of litter and hope to inspire others to do the same thing with #seeitpickitup. This year I’ve decided to do more and made it a goal to make our house zero waste by December. We’re halfway through the year now and doing really well with getting our weekly rubbish bin down to just 1 bag each week but we still have lots of improvements to make and look forward to reaching the goal. Where did you get the idea? It wasn’t just the rubbish I was picking up when walking the dog, it also stemmed from my #nospend2017 campaign when I realised I spent nearly $6,000 on fast fashion last year. Fast fashion has a major impact on landfill waste because not everything that gets donated to charity can be used - 30% goes to landfill and costs charities millions of dollars to dispose of our crap. I imposed a ban on myself to stop spending money on mindless non-necessities in 2017 and decided to extend that to saying no to plastic too. Your Top Tips? Set up the kitchen cupboard with a smaller landfill bin and larger recycling bin. It’s a great visual to help you and family members to reduce the amount of waste being thrown away and think more carefully about what can be reused or recycled. Recycling isn’t the best step in reducing waste. Its best to first refuse, reuse, repurpose and reduce before recycling (although recycling is far better than throwing things away) Set up a box in the kitchen or pantry for soft plastics to put in a Redcycle bin, things like chip packets, bread bags etc. (head here for what constitutes soft plastics and where your nearest drop-off point is)  or box them up and send to Terracycle who turn them into affordable green products) Keep a lidded container on the bench or in the fridge for organic food scraps and put them in the green waste bin if you have one, or start your own compost bin for the garden. Use organic food scraps to easily make your own vegetable stock. Shop at a local greengrocer with your own reusable bags. It supports small business, local farmers, and avoids the temptation to buy products wrapped in plastic when shopping at the major grocery stores. Take your own containers to put deli meats, cheese and usual meats into. Ask the store person to tare the container on their scales first and ask them not to use plastic. Take your own containers when getting take-away food. Use a keep cup for your daily coffee (Many cafes are now offering discounts to people bringing their own cups. Head here for cafes in your area and support those who are doing the right thing.) Join a local zero waste facebook group for more tips and help on reducing your impact. I’m in Zero Waste Adelaide Refuse to use plastic! When there's a party, gathering at the office etc take your own cutlery, plates and cups. Take your own bag. You’ll feel silly at first because people question what you’re doing but it's only because they’re not comfortable challenging the status quo. You’ll soon get used to saying no and who knows, maybe you’ll inspire others to say no to plastic too. How's it going? The thing I find the hardest is getting others on board. As in, when I’m shopping not having store people look at me as if I’m from another planet when I ask them not to use plastic for my products. Also the lack of bulk food stores in Adelaide can make it an expensive process when first starting out. Its been a long process finding the stores that stock what I need each week and happy to assist with my requests of no plastic. We’re well on our way to zero waste though and I’m confident we’ll reach our zero waste goal before the end of the year. For more from Newmummakim follow her on Facebook and Instagram Or read more about her charge for a greener household here.

   

As we drift side-ways at 150km’s an hour into the new financial year (seriously, where has the year gone already?!) I’ve decided its the perfect time to stop and revisit some of my goals for 2017 to make sure I’m on track to smashing them before December 31st. NO SPEND 2017 OK so not spending money for 12 months started out really bloody tough, but just like giving up smoking, the longer I’ve gone without it the easier it is. Its been 6 months since the self-imposed ban began and I’m so proud of how far I’ve come. So far that’s 6 months of not buying clothes, shoes or accessories when it used to be such a wonderful past time warm in my bed, late at night listening to the not-so-subtle snoring of my husband. Peeps, that’s 6 months of being able to walk past Kmart and not buy anything. I walk past friggen Kmart and I. Dont. Buy. Anything. A by-product of my no spend 2017 has been my commitment to another goal I set – Living a zero waste life by the end of the year. LIVING ZERO WASTE Did you see the new War on Waste series on ABC? Australians throw away 6,000 kilos of clothing every 10 minutes. Let that sink in for a moment… So what gave me the idea to go zero waste by December? It started last year when I took more notice of the amount of rubbish I was passing when taking my pooch for morning walks. The local creek, gutters and roadside was chock full of plastic bags, lids, straws, take-away containers and coffee cups, I just couldn’t walk past it anymore. I’ve now collected over 50kgs of litter in about about 20 bags and I hope this inspires others to do the same thing. When you’re out and about please take a bag with you and if you #seeitpickitup This wasn’t the only motivator though. When I realised I’d spent those thousands of dollars on shitty fast fashion, I knew it was impacting more than just my bank account. Not everything donated to charity can be used for those less fortunate. Shockingly, 30% goes to landfill. This literal dumping of unwanted cheap clothing is costing charities millions of dollars every year, money that could be better spent on emergency housing, food, healthcare and education for the vulnerable people in our communities. So I stopped buying it. MY TIPS ON GOING ZERO WASTE The easiest tip is refusing to use plastic. When you have a party or you’re a party guest, have gatherings at the office or doing your weekly grocery shop, simply say no to plastic. Take your own cutlery, plates and cups. Take your own bag. Use your own containers. You’ll feel silly at first because people question what you’re doing but its only because they’re not comfortable challenging the status quo. You’ll soon get used to saying no and not caring what other people think, after all, you’re doing a great thing! Set up your kitchen bin cupboard with a smaller landfill bin and larger recycling bin. It’s a great visual to help you and your family reduce the amount of waste being thrown away and think more carefully about what can be reused, repurposed or recycled. Whilst starting out, set up a box in the kitchen or pantry for soft plastics to put in a Redcycle bin (things like chip packets and bread bags). Check the Redcycle website for what constitutes soft plastics and where your nearest drop-off point is. Or you can box up soft plastics and send them to Terracycle where they’ll turn them into affordable green products. Remember that although its a great way to start, recycling isn’t the best step in going zero waste. First try to refuse it, reuse it or repurpose it before recycling it (although recycling is far better than going to landfill). Using plastic, even if it can be recycled, is still encouraging its production so best to avoid it as much as possible. Look at what you use often and try to make it yourself at home before buying it, such as bread, yogurt, butter, snacks, laundry detergent, dishwasher tablets and shampoo and conditioner. The Rogue Ginger is a great resource for DIY instructions and how to’s for going waste free. Reducing plastic waste is not only great for the environment but it can save you money too. I’ve cut our weekly grocery bill down from about $200 to under $150 and still going. Keep a lidded container on the bench or in the fridge for organic food scraps and put them in the green waste bin, or start your own compost bin for the garden, or use them to easily make your own vegetable stock. Shop at a local greengrocer with reusable produce bags. It supports small business, supports local farmers, and avoids the lazy convenience of buying products wrapped in plastic when shopping at the major grocery stores (the prices and quality are often better anyway). Take your own containers to put deli meats, cheeses and other meats into. Ask the store person to tare the container on their scales first and ask them not to use plastic if possible (maybe they can use tongs or offer them to use your own if you’re initally met with some resistance). Take your own containers for take-away foods. Use a keep cup for your daily coffee – Horrifyingly, it is estimated Australians use 1 billion disposable coffee cups each year. Many cafes are now offering discounts for people bringing their own cups so not only will you be helping the environment by not using disposables, you’ll save money too! Check out Responsible Cafes and support the cafes doing the right thing. Start researching online for plastic free alternatives. Think things like the kids school bags, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorants, ear buds, toothpicks, dental floss, sanitary products, nappies, hair dye, nail polish, skincare, makeup and pet care. I mostly shop at Biome, local farmers markets are great too. Join a local zero waste facebook group for more tips on reducing your impact. You’ll find me in Zero Waste Adelaide. I suggest pulling everything out of your wardrobe and #shopyourwardrobe instead of buying more clothes when you feel like you have nothing. You’d be surprised how many outfits you can create out of what you already have. SMASHING GOALS I’m a naturally impulsive person. Ever seen me with a block of chocolate? I have no willpower to stop myself from eating the entire block in one sitting. I have no shame nor fucks to give, so setting goals and sticking to them isn’t really one of my strong points. Something I do have though is my stubbornness. Once my mind is made up I’m 100% committed. Setting goals isn’t something I used to do but we were encouraged to do it by our boss two years ago. I now do it regularly and since setting and monitoring my goals, I’ve been achieving them more often. So if the thought of going waste free, getting rid of your credit cards, not spending money for a length of time or even something as small as giving yourself 20 minutes a day of me time seems too hard, why not start a journal or create a mood board of your goals for the year, break them down into more tangible goals, and set weekly or monthly tasks to reach the big goal. The more you practice the art of goal setting the easier it is to bring them to life. Share your efforts with me on Facebook or Instagram, tag me @newmummakim and use the hashtag #zerowastemumma when saying no to plastic, #seeitpickitup when picking up rubbish or #mumrobe when shopping your wardrobe.

Online beauty retailer Flora & Fauna is making it easier for customers to responsibly dispose of their empty cosmetics tubes, bottles and other packaging through a partnership with TerraCycle. “We are absolutely delighted to announce that everything at Flora & Fauna is now 100 per cent recyclable,” the NSW-based eco-friendly, vegan and cruelty-free beauty retailer said on its website. The company acknowledged that packaging for some of its products can’t easily be recycled, which isn’t ideal for a brand committed to sustainability. But a new partnership with US-based recycling company TerraCycle aims to change that. TerraCycle specialises in recycling the non-recyclable, including coffee pods, beauty tubes, juice packets and chip bags, and making new products out of the waste. Customers can now send in their empty beauty tubes and containers to Flora & Fauna, which will collate and separate the items and forward them to TerraCycle. Flora & Fauna will give customers a $5 credit to the website each time they participate. It will also award prizes to customers who send in the most items for recycling throughout the year. The company explains on how it works in 4 steps: 1. Keep your Flora & Fauna box (or another box) and start filling it up with empty tubes and containers of beauty products. If your local council has a recycling program, recycle what you can there. Use us for things that can’t be recycled there. Make sure your containers are clean and free of any residual product or water. We only want to recycle the plastic, not any left over moisturiser 2. Write your name and email address on a piece of paper and put in the box. Tape your box up, head to the post office, and send to the following address: Flora & Fauna Recycling Program 9 Crusader Road Galston NSW 2159 Australia 3. Once we receive your box and separate out the contents we will add $5 credit to your account and send you an email to confirm this. Please note it is a requirement that your tubes are clean and free of residual contents in order to receive the $5 credit. If you don’t have an account we will create one for you so please do include your email address. 4. When we have received enough plastic to recycle, we will send to TerraCycle for recycling. Julie Mathers, CEO and founder of Flora & Fauna, was named to Internet Retailing’s 2017 Top 50 People in E-Commerce, which can be downloaded here.