Learning from Germany
- Words by Peppermint
There are many differences between Australia and Germany, but after living in Berlin for a year, I found the biggest one was recycling. Germans rock at recycling. Everything is separated. Food scraps go into a compost bin, ‘containers’ – such as aluminium and plastics – go into a yellow bin. There’s a black general waste bin, a paper and cardboard bin, and three different bins for glass… The best part though? Getting money back for drink containers. Beer bottles, soft drink cans and any plastic bottles are worth good money, thanks to what they call a Pfund. You simply take them back to your local supermarket, feed them into a reverse vending machine and get a receipt back with a dollar amount, which you can put towards your grocery bill or claim as cash. The scheme is so lucrative that some people in Berlin actually make a living by collecting bottles and cans. Granted, cost of living is pretty cheap in Berlin, but it all adds up: 8c for a beer bottle, and anywhere up to 25c for a water bottle. Recycling is easy, and when you help the environment you get a direct benefit: cash.
So what’s up, Australia? Why the hesitation to implement a national Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) when it obviously works in other countries and has been successful in South Australia for more than 30 years? South Australians recycle about 80 per cent of the number of bottles sold in shops, compared to the rest of the country, where the figure is less than half that. They can take a bottle or can into a collection depot and get 10c back. Save them up for six months and you may even pay off a week’s worth of groceries.
The biggest hurdle to the implementation of a CDS so far seems to be drink companies themselves. Schweppes, Coca Cola and Lion Nathan recently took the Northern Territory government to court after a CDS was introduced in January 2012 – and they won. They said the scheme was costly, and they had to hike the price of drinks up so high that their customers complained. But that doesn’t have to be the case. In Germany, stores list the price of a drink and mark how much of that you’ll get back. You always know why you’re paying that little bit extra and you’re more likely to bring the bottle back than just dump it.
The good news? There’s a lot of support for a CDS in this country – including Clean Up Australia, The Boomerang Alliance, Greenpeace, Tim Silverwood and a host of other groups. And the arguments are compelling. A CDS would reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfills – or worse, into our rivers. It would increase recycling rates, cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduce water usage and create jobs. Not to mention the money that goes back into your pocket or cuts down your grocery bill. So if you’d like to see a CDS in Australia, take action by writing to your State Minister or visit the above websites for more ideas.
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
Brighten up your inbox with our not-too-frequent emails featuring Peppermint-related news, events, competitions and more!
explore
More articles
Have you made the Viola Quilted Jacket yet? This pattern hits the sweet spot for both established sewists keen to learn a new skill (quilting!),…
Hang out with us on Instagram
“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
