No Time to Waste

It was actually a New Year’s resolution. I had read the scary stats and sad news pieces about what was happening in the world so when it came time to write my New Year’s resolutions I added “do better for the planet” to the list.

As a trained journalist, I did lots and lots of research but could find no simple, easily accessible information, or actionable steps for the everyday person who wanted to do their bit for the planet. It all appeared so difficult, confusing and overwhelming, and I knew that to save our planet we needed to make changes but if it was going to work it needed to be simple.

I started my business Banish as a way to educate people on the actions that they could take to reduce their environmental footprint, such as composting, recycling better or reducing their consumption. In turn when I was making sustainable swaps and switches I kept getting caught in greenwashing boobie traps. Believing that I was purchasing from a sustainable company to only find out they weren’t better for the planet at all! I created the Banish online store as a way to connect Aussies with amazing sustainable Australian businesses. Making it easier again for them to reduce their waste.

When I first started this journey I thought that composting was off the cards for me! I found a great app called Share Waste that connects you with people in your local area who want your food scraps. Then I moved to an apartment block with a backyard so I put a compost bin and a worm farm there so people in the building and our neighbours can use them to compost their food scraps. Composting is not only effective for reducing waste to landfill – for me it was also a great way to meet my neighbours.

The easiest thing would be to reduce your food waste! 1 in 5 shopping bags of groceries ends up in landfill! Not only does food waste emit a huge amount of greenhouse emissions (around 12% of Australia’s total gas emissions) but each household throws away around $2,500 worth of food a year! Save your money and the planet by using up everything in your fridge and throwing away less.

One of the hardest would be going completely plastic free. I don’t think it’s achievable for the everyday australian and by setting yourself a target like this in my opinion you’re setting yourself up for failure. Aim to consume less and refuse plastic packaging and stuff where ever  you can.

It is everywhere! The best thing you can do is consume less! Opt for plastic free where you can. Use reusable produce bags, stop using cling film and use beeswax wraps or reusable containers, buy paper wrapped or items in glass over plastic. These small changes may seem insignificant but they will make a difference.

I’ve just opened up our first sustainability hub located at central station, which help me to share great sustainable products or information with anyone looking to reduce their personal impact and find simple solutions to waste reduction. I’d love to open more hubs particularly in remote and regional areas, because my biggest goal for this year is to educate as many people as possible, to show them that living sustainably can be easy!