first things first: what’s so wrong with plastic?

despite its long-held reputation as a versatile and durable material, most plastic we encounter today is single use, meaning that it swiftly ends up in landfill.

the world currently produces 300 million tonnes of plastic each year, and the packaging industry is the largest producer of plastics: think about all those plastic bags, containers, wrappers, packing materials and so on, that we encounter on a daily basis in almost every aspect of our lives!

plastic IS NOT BIODEGRADABLE… it can sit for hundreds of years in landfill, and as a petroleum-based product, the process in which it breaks down pollutes its surroundings, releasing carbon, methane and other toxins into the soil, air and water, killing shared ecosystems of humans, animals and marine life.

although we humans live on land, plastic waste in the ocean is not only a major issue for hundreds of species of sea life: each year 18 billion pounds of plastic waste enters the oceans from coastal regions, with 80% of the plastic waste in the ocean coming from land based sources (that means us), and as it breaks down it not only kills marine species that are crucial in our ecosystem, but it also damages valuable water sources. in fact, besides the devastating effects of microplastics in the bellies of other sea creatures and mammals, plastic waste in water can cause flooding by clogging drainage systems, and poison our food chains, while links have also been found between plastic pollutants and health risks in humans.

so what about recycling?

all over Australia, and in many other parts of the world, our recycling is no longer being recycled, but goes straight to landfill. this happens because recycling is not simple: it requires time, energy and money, and many governments do not treat proper recycling as a priority, so do not give recycling systems the support they need. at the same time, the amount of waste produced by manufacturers is beyond the scope of household and even industrial recycling, and while things may be labelled “recyclable”, especially hard plastics, recycling such a wide variety of materials to create actually viable, reusable products is often too inefficient to be effective.

in the past, much of australia’s waste was sent to china to be recycled, but china is no longer accepting our waste, meaning that we must take responsibility for the amount of things we throw away. today, recycling is not a solution: instead, we must invest in practices that reduce our waste, promote reuse of plastics we already have, and limit the production of non-essential packaging.

what can you do?

we know that “plastic free” and “zero waste” can be intimidating, extreme phrases, so the foe food coop promotes lifestyle changes towards zero waste, and we encourage everyone to minimize plastic waste step by step… try:

• shopping in bulk

• bringing your own reusable coffee cup/ mug

• bringing your own reusable shopping/ produce bags : say no to packaged fruits/ veggies

• investing in more sustainable homewares made of bamboo, stainless steel + biodegradable materials

• using more eco-friendly cosmetics/ household products that use natural materials + are packaged without plastic

• minimising household waste by composting and not purchasing more things than you can use!

• shopping locally: cut down on unnecessary food miles + transport packaging

• repurpose your old things/ clothing, most things have at least one more life in them!

• campaigning with your local government for more investment in waste-wise initiatives

it has been estimated that only 9% of our plastic gets recycled! that means at least 91% of the world’s plastic ends up in landfill!

every piece of plastic ever made still exists today: degraded microplastics can basically live forever!

plastic degradation releases methane: a potent greenhouse gas that directly contributes to climate change!

what do we do in our store?

in our store, we work as hard as we can to minimize our waste…

• we do not stock any non-bulk products that are packaged in single-use plastic

• we do not offer take away coffee cups (though we’re happy to make one in your own cup or to lend one of our mugs!)

• we try our best to reuse and recycle any plastic bulk containers, as well as any cardboard packaging from our deliveries

• we take part in plastic free july, offering discounts for customers who byo containers: learn more about the movement here!

• we take donations of glass jars to be reused by customers in the bulk food store

• we keep our kitchen waste to an absolute minimum, using up ingredients in a variety of creative ways, and all our food scraps are composted at the fitzroy primary school