Here We Go Again: Surprising Things You Didn’t Know About Recycling
- Words by Peppermint
Recycling may have its issues, but it’s still an important ‘R’ in the #ReduceReuseRecycleRefuse life goals mantra.
So this National Recycling Week (established by Planet Ark in 1996) may we remind you of the importance of recycling, if avoidance isn’t possible or practical. In order to live more sustainably on this planet, we all need to look at waste with a different mindset – so we’ve compiled a list with a few fun facts about recycling you might not have otherwise considered!
If the people of Kamikatsu, Japan can sort their waste into 45 different categories of recyclables, surely we all can step up our recycling efforts!
Are you recycling your soft plastics?
While we’ve made strides in the past decade towards a life free from plastic, Australians still consume an estimated 10 million plastic bags a day – yikes! If you’re not recycling your soft plastics already, now’s a great time to start. All that flexible plastic (anything that can be scrunched into a ball) can be diverted from landfill to be recycled. And it’s as easy as getting another bin at home to place your scrunchable plastic (or just stuffing a bag) and then bringing it to a REDcycle drop-off point when you nip down to your local supermarket. Neat!
We get it… bread is life.
But those pesky, plastic tags are quite the opposite. Started in South Africa in 2006, Bread Tags for Wheelchairs is a volunteer-driven initiative that collects bread tags for recycling companies so they can raise funds to buy wheelchairs for those in need. Its Australian arm recently teamed up with South Australian recycling partner Transmutation to transform the plastic tags into bowls and serving boards, with the colourful, retro-inspired bowls containing over 1800 bread tags each! Find your local bread tag collection point at ozbreadtagsforwheelchairs.org.au – support a great charity, keep plastic out of landfill, and contribute to these cool homewares!
WANT MORE ENVIRONMENT CONTENT? RIGHT THIS WAY…
Recycling extends so much further than your kerbside bin.
There’s a huge variety of recycling, repair and reuse services available across the country. Most are free, or low cost, and cover waste items that aren’t suitable for kerbside recycling like electronic and textile waste! Programs like TerraCycle, whose mission is #RecycleEverything, process waste from a variety of waste streams. The company works with companies in a huge variety of programs to take hard-to-recycle materials and turn them into new products, raising over $44 million for charities in the process. There are also textile recycling hubs in most cities for old clothes, and pet shelters often take bedding.
Don’t despair coffee lovers!
While reusables should always be top priority, we’ve got to respect the wishes of our local cafes when it comes to keeping our communities safe in these COVID times. Other times, we get it, you’re in a rush and you just forget your cup. Did you know, in some Australian states, you can actually recycle your coffee cup! Check out your local council website for advice and pro tip: go without a lid to forgo the extra plastic.
top photo ANNA SHVETS
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“My piece of advice for makers and designers? Run your own race… make sure your key decisions stay anchored in your brand’s core beliefs.”
- Bec Bligh
Quick show of hands: who’s opened a water bottle expecting a refreshing sip… and instead been greeted by the unmistakable whiff of uh-oh?
Because for something that follows us everywhere (desk, car, hikes, yoga…), the humble drink bottle is strangely prone to becoming a science experiment. Hard-to-clean corners and gaskets. Mystery smells. Bec Bligh and her husband Tim know it well. A six-month sailing trip along the Queensland coast left them with a lifetime of memories and one stubborn annoyance: mouldy water bottles they couldn’t properly clean.
So they did something about it.
Enter @EverVessel. Thoughtfully designed borosilicate glass and stainless steel bottles that keep things beautifully simple: durable materials, wide openings, easy-to-clean parts and none of the techy gimmicks that tend to age badly. Turns out simplicity, done well, is pretty powerful stuff. (Their many design awards agree!)
And lately they’ve added a little extra delight: the Artist Series, where creatives like Paola Castro, Ben Miners and Martin Thompson transform these everyday companions into tiny travelling artworks. There are more colabs in the works, too: hydration, but make it joyful! 🎨💧
We chatted with Bec about the sailing trip that started it all, the philosophy behind Ever Vessel, and why the most sustainable product is often just the one you keep using.
Tap the link in our bio to read the full conversation. 🚰
#EverVessel #ReusableWaterBottle
Pull up a chair… there’s room at this table!
For the first time, Feast for Freedom is bringing people together for a spectacular long-table dinner as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
A Longer Table is exactly what it sounds like: one beautiful shared table inside the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1), piled with generous dishes inspired by this year’s hero cooks, Noha and Nige.
From 6 to 9pm on Wednesday, 25 March, this is what you can expect:
🍽 A three-course shared feast
🍷 Matched drinks
🎶 Live entertainment
✨ A room full of good humans
Your ticket doesn’t just buy you a delicious dinner. It supports the ASRC’s vital work and helps create a fairer future for people seeking asylum.
Seats are limited, and long tables have a way of filling up quickly – head to @MelbFoodAndWine’s website to book now: feastforfreedom.org.au/mfwf
#FeastForFreedom #MelbourneFoodAndWineFestival #LongTableDinner #FoodForChange
Sew versatile! 🪡
Another great make from Lisa from @SunnySewsEveryday:
My #PeppermintWaratahWrapDress is finished and I’m so proud of it. It has been designed not to flap open and flash your pants in the wind, so I feel confident it will be a great wheelchair or standing dress in English weather.
#PeppermintPatterns #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
Frame your face with the Peppermint Bucket Hat!
Stay safe and stylish in the sun with your very own self-sewn and self-drafted wide-brimmed bucket hat. This beginner-friendly sew is perfect for a sunny day. Get out your pencils – this pattern is created using equations and maths!
This DIY project was featured in Issue 53 and now you can access it for the lovely low price of only $5.
Sun-safe chic is always in style. ☀️
Find it via the link in our bio!
Photos: @KelleySheenan
#PeppermintPatterns #PeppermintBucketHat #BucketHat #BucketHatPattern #DIY
✨ INSTANT CLASSIC ✨
The Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with a few special details based on the ever-stylish shift shape – the perfect dress you need in your wardrobe right now!
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from our lovely sewing partner @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Location: @ShareTheDignityAustralia
#PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress #PeppermintPatterns
It’s time to Feast!
Some recipes travel a long way before they land on your table to delight your taste buds. This year’s Feast for Freedom invites us to gather our friends, cook something delectable and raise funds for the incredible work of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1) while we’re at it.
The 2026 Feast features recipes shared by two remarkable cooks: Noha, who brought the flavours of Palestine with her when she arrived in Australia, and Nige, a Sri-Lankan Tamil cook whose journey with food began in the most unexpected of places.
You can host your own Feast up until 30 April – simply register online and get planning! Host a dinner, organise a workplace lunch, or gather your community… However you do it, the idea is simple: cook, connect and celebrate the cultures and stories that shape Australia.
Want to find out more? Head to the link in bio to meet Noha and Nige, learn more about their stories, and discover a delicious recipe to try.
#FeastForFreedom #PeppermintMagazine #FoodForGood #ASRC
