How much do you love your Mum?

Mothers Day from a Zero Waste Perspective

Around this time of year, you’ll probably be getting numerous marketing messages that if you buy your Mum (or Mum-like equivalent person) the right kind of gift she will know just how much you love her.

If you get her the gift pack, the nicest flowers, the corny trinket or biggest box of chocolates then surely she will know that you love her heaps! And likewise, if you don’t then you mustn’t love her at all.

As a Mum, I have to say, this is absolutely correct so buy up big at Wasteless Pantry!!!!

Nah, just kidding 🙂

Your Mum, most likely, does not care what you get her or if you get her anything at all.

Most Mum’s just want to know that you care and you think about her.  She would love to spend the day with you enjoying each others company like when you were a kid and she was your whole world.

Remember that drawing you did for her when you were 5 that she made a fuss over or that disaster of a cake you baked that she smiled all the way through eating, or that time you offered her burnt toast, lukewarm coffee and an underboiled egg in bed.  She loved it all because it was from the heart and it was from you.

You could spend your money on your Mum with things that don’t create waste like:

  • Handcrafted tea blends (I love ginger & lemongrass with coconut sugar at the moment)
  • A cake you baked yourself (we have a brownie mix that you just mix with water if your baking skills haven’t improved much since you were a child)
  • Coffee beans and a plunger or a nice mug (mug sets always get chipped so you could pick up a one of a kind from the op shop)
  • Anything chocolate (you could try your hand at custom-made chocolate bars if you are keen)
  • Reusable face wipes, shampoo bars, moisturiser in a nice jar you saved and refilled or nice smelling soaps

But really, just focus on giving her your time.

We love being Mums and we love our Mums xx


Zero Waste Beauty

"True Beauty Comes From Within"

We know this to be true and yet so many of us still love to tend to our outer beauty too.

There are so many products out there claiming to make us look and feel prettier, sexier, younger, thinner.  They do so by marketing to us products in packaging that is excessive, difficult or impossible to recycle, with ingredients that aren’t necessarily good for our health, and that are polluting to the environment.  Where is the beauty in that?

Zero waste beauty is about quality natural ingredients, minimal packaging and finding what feels good for your skin.

It is also about embedding joy into your self-care rituals by caring for your skin the way that works for you rather than what someone else says you have to do to feel better about yourself.  So have fun with it!

A few ideas to transition toward a zero waste beauty routine include:

Instead of liquid cleansers in little bottles that are hard to recycle, you could switch to Face Bars.  Made with certified organic vegan ingredients, no palm oil or other nasties, right here in Western Australia.  To use simply lather on wet hands or a cloth, cleanse face with gentle circular actions and rinse off.

Oily Face Bars assist with balancing oil production and clearing problem skin.

Mature/Dry Skin Face Bars nourish, moisturise and gently cleanse skin.

Baby Soft Face/Body Bars are for the most sensitive skin.

The reusable alternative to cotton wool balls or cotton rounds.  Made with super soft fabric, they can be used to cleanse, tone or remove makeup gently.  Once used they can be hand washed or added to the laundry for use again and again.

There are plenty of recipes on the internet for making your own makeup remover.  

One of the easiest is to put a little Coconut Oil or Olive Oil on a reusable facial wipe to remove makeup and then cleanse as usual.  Another is a mix of 1/2 Jojoba Oil and 1/2 Witch Hazel Extract.  Yet another is 1/4 cup Jojoba Oil melted together with 1 tablespoon of Beeswax.  Each have their pros and cons depending on what your skin responds to best and how much effort you want to put in.  

The joy of being part of the Wasteless Pantry community is that you can easily grab just enough of each of these ingredients to try it out.  If it doesn’t suit you there is no waste, and if it does suit you, you can tweak to your hearts content.

Many exfoliators of the past contained microbeads.  Little bits of plastic that you would rub against your skin and then wash down the drain.  This would then end up in the oceans, where they entered the food chain and came back to us in our seafood!

Microbeads are unnecessary when we have lots of options for natural exfoliators in our pantries.  Mix salt, sugar, quick oats or used coffee grinds with your favourite oil to a thick paste for a quick and easy scrub.  Depending on how fine your scrubbing ingredient is (castor sugar has a more gentle action than raw sugar granules) this can be used on both face and body.  Due to the oil in your scrub, once rinsed off skin will also already be moisturised too!

A favourite zero waste beauty ritual for me is using a clay mask.  I buy clay in my own container from Wasteless Pantry which I mix up with either water, oil or cooled herbal tea depending on whether my skin needs clarifying, moisturising or soothing the most.  Leave on for 10 minutes and then rinse.  Skin is silky soft and there is no packet to throw away!

If clay doesn’t suit your skin, another alternative is raw Spray free honey, which you can also get from Wasteless Pantry.  Raw honey is an active product which is said to hydrate and treat troubled skin.  It’s a little messy to apply but the results are worth it.  Plus if you happen to get a little in your mouth, you wont be complaining.

1/3 Apple Cider Vinegar or Witch Hazel Extract and 2/3 water or Rose Water

Add essential oils if this is your preference.

Great for tightening pores and brightening your complexion.

Too easy!

We are very lucky to have a thick luxurious Organic Moisturiser available from The Family Hub Organics, made locally, vegan and palm oil free.  Particularly beneficial for dry, damaged or aging skin this amazing moisturiser is gentle enough for those with sensitive skin including those with dermatitis & eczema.  Scented and unscented options are available.

Apply to clean, dry skin on the face or body & gently rub in until absorbed. 

We ask a lot of our moisturisers and this one doesn’t disappoint! Just bring your container in to refill so you can try just a bit without the waste.  Our moisturiser is in the league of those brands that package in a 50ml bottle and have words like anti-aging, revitalising, sensitive and regenerating in their ads, but with organic ingredients that don’t harm the earth and at a fraction of the price.

The Family Hub Organics have created a lightweight Body Lotion for us that is soothing, hydrating and leaves skin feeling well cared for.  Palm oil free, vegan, locally made, made with organic ingredients and zero waste; so it ticks all the boxes.

Apply to clean, dry skin & gently rub in until absorbed. 

Another great win for waste reduction! We have a few varieties of scoopable Deodorants containing only natural, aluminium free, palm oil free ingredients that are made locally in Western Australia.  You get to smell pretty all day long and nothing has to be disposed of in landfill or the recycling bin.  We even have a Bicarb Free Deodorant for those with sensitive armpits.  Natural deodorants generally come in a 30ml tin and you only need a little so this lasts a couple of months.  Just put a little on the end of your finger to wipe on each clean armpit.

Not strictly for your skincare but still helpful to look beautiful.  Getting the plastic free alternative to our usual tools of the trade is a great investment when your old plastic one starts to fail.  Old plastic brushes are not able to be recycled and so are only destined for landfill, whereas bamboo is a renewable resource that can be composted in a hole in your garden!

One of the things I missed when swapping to a zero waste beauty routine was pore strips.  I know they aren’t important in the scheme of things and so I gave them up without too much fuss.  But then Wasteless Pantry started stocking Activated Charcoal and I was able to have fun with this again. YAY!

The recipe is simple: mix 1/3 activated charcoal with 2/3 gelatine powder or agar agar powder and keep in a little jar.  Be careful with the activated charcoal as it can stain clothing and bench tops. Then when you want to make your strips simply mix in a little hot water to make a thick paste.  Use your finger tip or a small brush to apply over a small patch like your nose or chin and allow to dry.  When it is dry simply peel off and rinse dry.  It is so gruesomely satisfying to see all those little blackheads stuck to the peeled off mask.

All these ingredients are available at Wasteless Pantry so you can just grab what you need to try it out without having to invest in big quantities of hard to find items!

I’m adding this one in just because it is lovely to have a scented bath at the end of all your primping and preening. 

To make Bath Tea, simply add whichever petals and herbs of your liking to a small bag (like the ones we have available for using with soap nuts), pull closed and steep in your bath with you.  Much easier to clean up than throwing the petals directly in with you and you can always add a handful of epsom salts for good measure too.  My favourite combination is rose, lavender and chamomile as it is so calming before bed.  Wasteless Pantry have a range of aromatic herbs and petals in our Spices and Herbal Tea sections as well as rock salt and epsom salts if you want to DIY bath salts too.

What other zero waste beauty ideas do you love?


Can Going To Bars Reduce Waste?

Have you tried out personal hygiene, pet care and cleaning products in bar form?

Shampoo bars, conditioner bars, face bars, soap bars, deodorant bars, body butter bars, pet care bars, stain remover bars, dishwashing bars; the list goes on and on…

It seems that these are becoming more and more popular, with some good reasons for their popularity.

  • Bars are a concentrated version of their liquid counterpart.  Meaning that you are getting a comparable product, just without the added water and excessive packaging.  This is great because it means that fewer resources are needed to manufacture, transport and sell the product as they take up less space.  One little 110g shampoo bar can replace up to 3 full bottles of shampoo!
  • According to Ethique (one of the brands we have available), “each bar lasts 2-5 times longer than bottled beauty products because they’re super concentrated – you add the water – not us.”
  • Bars are super convenient when you are travelling!  Liquid quantities are often limited when travelling via aeroplane and even when this is not an issue, it is often much preferred to take a little bar than having to lug around litres of a product when travelling for extended periods.
  • Bars can be an economical alternative when compared to products of the same quality.  Wasteless Pantry only stocks palm-oil free options which we have tested and believe will be enjoyable to use for their intended purpose with great results.
  • Bars come with little to no packaging so there is no strain on our landfill or recycling facilities.  No need to send a plastic bottle overseas to be remanufactured into another product that then gets shipped somewhere else in the world again for use.  You just use the product and it’s done.
  • Our bars are safe for grey water and don’t pollute our waterways with plastics, microplastics or harsh chemicals.
  • Not all cleansing bars are soap! Each bar is made for a specific purpose and so has ingredients that benefit that particular application.

Bars are just super handy and easy to use!

The main thing to remember when using bars is to make sure that they dry out well between uses.  Pop them on a soap rack, coconut fibre scourer or other drying option between use to harden up.  Soft bars mean that you use more than you needed and are just washing that product down the drain.  A waste of product and money!

      • Have you made the switch? Would you consider it?

10 Easy Swaps Toward a Low Waste Bathroom

Did you know that your bathroom is usually the second most wasteful room in your home?

According to Own Your Impact,

“over 30 million toothbrushes are disposed of each year in Australia – contributing approximately 1,000 tonnes of landfill annually.”

Making changes to reduce this is easy!

1. Start refilling your Shampoo and Conditioner containers or swap to Shampoo Bars and Conditioner Bars from the Wasteless Pantry.

Our liquid silicone free Shampoo and Conditioner are cruelty-free, vegan, paraben free, palm oil free, sulphate free, grey water safe and locally made in WA.  We have a range of Shampoo and Conditioner Bars from Ethique as well as a local WA company, which are all palm oil free, vegan and replace many bottles of product in just one little bar.  You can just buy a little of the shampoo and conditioner to try it out too – so if it doesn’t suit your hair type there isn’t the leftover product to dispose of. But we think they all do a great job in keeping hair clean, healthy and beautiful, just without the waste.

2. Swap to a bamboo Toothbrush, plastic-free Floss and consider making your own Toothpaste or Toothpowder.

Toothbrushes are only $3.99 each at Wasteless Pantry so it’s pretty low risk to try one out to see if they suit your needs.  We also have plastic-free silk Floss and will have access to plastic-free Vegan Floss soon.  Recipes and all the ingredients you need to try out making your own Toothpaste are readily available in store too.

3. Start refilling your liquid Hand Wash and Body Wash containers or swap to Soap Bars from the Wasteless Pantry.

We have liquid Body and Hair Cleanser, Organic Castile Soap, as well as Soap Bars which are perfect for keeping you clean without drying out your skin.  These are all pH balanced, grey water safe, cruelty-free, vegan, locally made in WA, and palm oil free.  Your containers can be refilled over and over again!  We have soap racks as well if you don’t already have one or you can even use one of our coconut fibre scourers as a drying bed for your bars.  It is important to dry out any bars you use between uses so that you get the most out of your product and aren’t washing away more than you need because the bar was soft.

4. Stop buying novelty Bubble Bath containers and just refill the kids favourite.

Kids love bubbles! However, many of the fun designed packaging types aren’t the best for their delicate skin.  Pick their favourite container you already own and refill with our Bubble Bath which is locally made and formulated with gentle plant-based ingredients.  It is pH balanced, suitable for babies and toddlers and won’t scum up your bath as there are no fats present.  So this swap saves the Earth and you some cleaning too!

5. Stock up on plastic-free recycled Toilet Paper.

It’s well and good to recycle your paper via your kerbside bin, but that paper then needs to be recycled into something.  Paper can only be recycled in more paper a small number of times before the fibres start to degrade so there need to be other options for it to be transformed into.  Toilet Paper is one of those options!  We stock Who Gives A Crap branded Toilet Paper as we believe this company is doing great things for the Earth and people as their product is 100% recycled, contains no inks, dyes or scents, and they donate 50% of their profits to help build toilets for those in need.  Plus, the rolls are 3-ply so super strong, very soft, and double length meaning there are fewer arguments about whose turn it is to change the roll.

6. Switch to plastic-free Cotton Buds.

The plastic stick in cotton buds is not recyclable.  You could compost the cotton wool at the tip, but would you go to that trouble? Cotton Buds are not something my family use a lot of, but it is good to know that now we have switched to plastic-free Cotton Buds from Wasteless Pantry we are able to just compost the whole thing once used.

7. Soothe your muscles with refills of Epsom Salts.

Epsom Salts are great thrown in a bath to soothe achy tired muscles, just a handful makes a big difference.  Instead of buying packets you can simply buy as little or as much as you need in your own container at Wasteless Pantry.  You could get a whole kilogram for $4.99 if you really wanted to!  Plus it’s great for your garden too.

8. Switch to reusable Menstrual Cups and Menstrual Pads.

For those of us who need them and who have tried them, there is a rare woman who doesn’t love them! These products save you a ton of money, heaps of waste plus they are so much more convenient and comfortable than the disposable options.  Plus the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome is negligible so your health wins too!  At Wasteless Pantry we have chosen to stock the Australian designed Juju Cups as well as Scarlett Eve’s locally made very funky designed Menstrual Pads which come in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit your needs.

9. Use a natural fibre cleaning cloth such as a flannel, loofah or Sisal Exfoliating Glove.

As you wash, little fibres from your sponge, loofah, exfoliating glove or flannel flow down the drain with dirt and dead skin cells.  Natural fibres breakdown and are easily integrated back into the environment but plastic fibres do not.  Plastic fibres break up into smaller and smaller pieces, entering our soil and our food chain.  Microfibres, as they are known, are highly toxic and a great threat to our environment.  So keep it simple, go back to using a cotton or hemp flannel, try out a loofah or sea sponge, or grab a Sisal Exfoliating Glove next time you pop into Wasteless Pantry.

10. Stop using cotton wool balls or cotton rounds and swap to reusable Face Wipes.

Cotton is a highly water-intensive product to produce and so really isn’t suited to single-use items.  Our Deluxe Facial Wipes are super soft, cute as a button, conveniently sized for intricate jobs and can be hand washed or added to your usual laundry depending on your preference.  Buy once and use over and over.

There are lots of easy ways to move toward a low waste lifestyle, just take it one step at a time and you’ll likely find that you enjoy the new way of doing things in no time.  Just a couple of final things to consider:

  1. Check the labelling on products you currently buy to find out more about just how eco-friendly they are.  We have recently learnt that a number of cheaper products calling themselves eco-friendly contain palm oil or have organic in the title but contain no organic ingredients!
  2. Set up a recycling collection bin and a compost bin in your bathroom rather than just having a landfill bin.  Cosmetic, beauty, and hair care packaging can sometimes be recycled via kerbside collection and some only via specialist facilities like those at Wasteless Pantry (check www.recycleright.wa.gov.au for more info).  Contact lenses and their packaging, as well as plastic dental items, can also be recycled via Wasteless Pantry.  Used tissue, plastic-free cotton buds, cotton wool, plastic-free floss and the handle of your bamboo toothbrush can all be composted in your garden easily – but only if you collect it up first.  Having dedicated collection tubs for these items means that there isn’t much at all that ends up in the landfill!

Let us know of other tips you have to share below 🙂


New Year resolutions – goals or habits?

With every New Year comes the temptation to set some resolutions and, for many years, I diligently made a list of outcomes I was striving to achieve over the next 12 months.  However, I would usually find myself at the beginning of the next year dusting off the previous list before writing a new version (can you relate?) with variable degrees of success.

In the past few years, I noticed that I achieved my goals when I managed to establish new habits.  When I focus on changing one habit at at time I make changes which in turn deliver the end goal and become embedded in my daily life and therefore last a lifetime. This has been true in terms of health, money, career and relationships!

In respect of waste reduction, it has been tempting to set goals like “I will generate less than 1kg of landfill each month” but this does not always translate to specific actions or help with decision making in the heat of the moment. I have found that habits that make everyday decisions easier to reduce waste have more impact.

What has worked for our family is to change habits which, in turn, have a positive  impact the outcome.  For example, we have been working on:

Habit Achievement
Always keeping a set of resusable containers and bags in each car 99%
Keeping a small foldable bag in our handbag (me), workbag (hubby) or backpacks (kids) 95%
Menu planning every week 85%
Using leftovers for lunches and/or having a leftover night 90%
Taking our reusable water bottle (everywhere!) 100%
Composting any food scraps that our dog can’t/won’t eat 95%
Not buying a coffee if we can’t use a ceramic cup or keep cup 100%
Using our sodastream and only buying soft drinks in aluminium cans 95%
Giving experiences as gifts rather than ‘stuff’ or wrapping ‘stuff’ in fabric squares, tea towels or reuseable gift bag 85%
Taking resusable drink cup to the cinema for frozen soft drink (really proud of my kids for this one!) 100%
Buy secondhand items wherever possible 80%
Taking home-made, unpackaged food for school lunches. 75%

The habit we are working on at the moment is to limit our food purchases to products that can be bought:

  • in our own reusable containers at the bulk store, greengrocer, butcher, bakery and deli counter
  • in cans or in glass
  • in paper or cardboard

It IS sometimes cheaper or more convenient to buy something close to hand, wrapped in plastic but that is where changing your habits makes the difference.  Instead of calling into the supermarket on the way home from work at the last minute, we now do a menu plan for the week ahead and schedule in time for shopping trips to buy low-waste alternatives. Once we had done this a few times and got into a rhythm with the new habit, the prepackaged items were no longer a temptation!  We still struggle to find alternatives to a few everyday items such as milk and yoghurt as well as some treats such as chips/cheezles (I know, right!) but, overall, I am pleased with our progress.

By changing our habits rather than focussing on the outcomes, our family has seen dramatic reductions in what goes into both our landfill and recycling bins and, once a habit becomes ‘normal’, we can avoid slipping back to the old behaviours that used to created waste.

Can you relate? What habits have worked for your household?

Amelia 


Specialized Recycling Solutions at Wasteless Pantry – Your Eco-Friendly Choice

Discover the Difference with Wasteless Pantry’s Unique Recycling Programs 

Not all items are suitable for your regular yellow top kerbside bin recycling. At Wasteless Pantry, we bridge this gap by offering unique recycling services for those hard-to-recycle items, ensuring that they are responsibly processed and don’t end up in landfills.

Updated 20 Feb 2024

Beauty Product Packaging Recycling Initiative

Locations: Mundaring and Bassendean

We welcome a variety of beauty product containers such as tubes, tubs, bottles, lids, droppers, small jars, and non-aerosol deodorant packaging. Please ensure items are empty and free from makeup brushes, haircare products, aerosols, hazardous goods, and cardboard.

Blister Pack Recycling Service

Locations: Mundaring and Bassendean; Cash donations appreciated as it costs $192 per box to provide this service 

Safely recycle any brand of empty medicinal blister packs. Please dispose of unused medicine at your local pharmacy and recycle outer cardboard packaging through your regular bin.

Comprehensive Contact Lens Recycling

Note: The trial at Mundaring is currently paused

We collect all brands of disposable lenses and their packaging. Cardboard should be recycled through your regular bin.

Disposable Razor Recycling Program

Locations: Mundaring and Bassendean

Return all brands of disposable blades, razors, and their plastic packaging for recycling. Cardboard packaging should be recycled separately.

Hair Care and Dye Kit Recycling

Locations: Mundaring and Bassendean

Our program accepts all brands of hair coloring and hair care packaging that can’t be recycled via your kerbside bin. Please exclude cardboard packaging.

Household Battery Collection

This program is now closed – please recycle via Coles, Aldi or Woolworths collection boxes.

Ink Cartridge Recycling Effort

Locations: Mundaring and Bassendean

Recycle your brand name inkjet, toner cartridges, and other printer consumables with us. Please remove all packaging before drop-off.

Mobile Phone Recycling for a Cause

Locations: Mundaring and Bassendean

Donate all mobile phones and chargers. Devices are either reused once date has been removed or responsibly recycled through Mobile Muster.

Oral Care Recycling Program

Locations: Mundaring and Bassendean

Bring in your empty toothpaste tubes, caps, plastic packaging, toothbrushes, and floss containers. Exclude bamboo and electric toothbrushes.

Plastic Bottle Top and Rings Recycling

Note: On hold until 2024; then available at Bassendean

Collect and return small beverage plastic bottle tops and rings for recycling. Foam inserts should be removed. These can also be recycled via Containers for Change locations.

Writing Instruments Recycling Drive

Location: Mundaring

We accept any brand of pen, marker, highlighter, and more. Exclusions include glue sticks, erasers, wooden pencils and cutting objects.

Explore More Recycling Options

For additional specialist recycling opportunities in your area, visit www.recycleright.wa.gov.au.


Win the War on Waste This Christmas

What if this Christmas you could help reduce waste?

Wasteless Pantry was recognised by the Waste Authority of WA as Waste Champions for 2017 and Highly Commended as Waste Team of the Year in 2018, but we think we know a fair few champions ourselves.  Our community is full of great people showing the way for their families and friends in how to live a low waste lifestyle.  There is no better time of the year to lead others to this path than at Christmas when so many increase their already wasteful ways.

Every year millions of unwanted gifts are excessively packaged and wrapped, appreciated for only a moment before they are stored away unused, thrown away, regifted or sold.  Kerbside bins are overflowing with polystyrene, wrapping, packaging, wasted food and plastic bags from buying all this stuff in the first place.  It’s hardly a picture of love and peace toward all mankind.  All that rubbish will end up on someone’s doorstep or in the fish on someone’s plate!

Instead of getting wasted, let’s prepare ourselves for our most enjoyable and sustainable year yet.

Planning

The key to zero waste living, low waste lifestyles, or just taking a little more care about the waste we create is all in the planning.

Think ahead about the type of Christmas you want to have.  Is it important to you to have family traditions?  Spending time with loved ones? Being generous? Feeling relaxed and restful? Having lots of celebrations and fun? Eating great food?  Whatever the inspiration, remembering the overall big picture values you want to strive for will help you decide just how important that $2 plastic toy really is at this time of year.

When you are planning meals, plan to the plate, not to your stomach’s desires.  If you are anything like me then if there is a buffet style meal on offer you want to try a bit of everything!  With this in mind, cater for what will fit on a plate and no more.  If your guest has to have seconds just to try everything on offer there is a good chance you will have lots of leftovers to deal with.  Also, save yourself some effort and turn Christmas lunch leftovers into an easy Christmas dinner.  You don’t have to serve up a repeat of lunch, with minimal creativity you can still offer something that will be delicious using what is already at hand.

Share the load with preparing food and also with distributing out the leftovers.  Make sure everyone brings a sizable container for any leftovers and then you’ve given the gift of a Boxing Day that doesn’t require any cooking 🙂

Serve your favourite Christmas dishes in containers that are beautiful on display and also have lids for putting away any leftovers straight after the meal.  If it doesn’t make it to the fridge quickly and easily, there is a good chance it will get thrown out.  Plus no-one likes dodgy food or having to tackle the clingwrap.

Get your bins ready.  Whilst I would love to hear that you didn’t need a bin at all during the festive season, the reality is that most will.  So with that in mind, make sure your bins are clearly marked for recycling, composting, or even reusing (kids love boxes!).  Know your recycling facilities available too so that you can save as much as possible from landfill.

More ideas to come on this topic….

How are you getting ready for low waste celebrations?

 

Photo Credits:
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Super Easy & Zero Waste Entertaining

The celebrations of the Christmas and New Year period are all about good food shared with good people.  I’m most fond of meals that are made ahead so I get more time to chat and connect; with less time hanging out in the kitchen on my own.

So here is a tried and true meal plan for anytime you need to whip together a feast!

Starters

Dukkah, olive oil and chunks of crusty bread

[Zero waste tip – BYO containers to Wasteless Pantry for the dukkah and oil as well as taking your bread bag to the bakery for your bread (or make your own)]

Soya crisps, Nordic crackers, corn chips and smashed avocado with a little lemon juice, rice cracker salad or mixed nuts

[Zero waste tip – BYO containers to Wasteless Pantry for the snacks and use a reusable produce bag for the avocado.  Serve all the snacks in wide-mouthed upcycled jars so you just put the lid back on if they don’t get finished and nothing will go stale]

Main

Brown rice salad – super easy to make in about 20 minutes and if you have extra it is great for lunches the next couple of days.  Soak rice overnight if you want to speed up the cooking time.

[Zero waste tip – BYO containers for rice, seeds, currants, oil and soy sauce.  Feel free to substitute what you have e.g. red onion for shallots, any colour capsicum, sultanas for currants, dried garlic for fresh (just halve the quantity suggested)]

Roasted vegetables

[Zero waste tip – roast up any vegetables that you have handy, even if they are a bit limp, or shop with reusable produce bags.  You don’t need to peel potato, sweet potato, carrots or mushrooms, just pop them straight onto the tray.  Try reusable baking liners or oil up your tray instead of using the disposable sheets]

Roasted meat or chicken wings

[Zero waste tip – Pick smaller cuts of meat as these will take less time to cook (and less power to run your oven) and encourage your guests to eat more vegetables since it’s healthier for everyone anyhow.  Take your own container to your butcher to avoid the plastic bag and meat tray]

Dessert

Christmas Cake – it is super easy to make this cake that lasts up to 3 months so you will always have something on hand for unexpected visitors!

Fruit platter or grilled stone fruit sprinkled with cinnamon sugar

[Zero waste tip – eat what is in season, since there is so much local variety this time of the year anyhow! Whatever doesn’t get finished can be made into a fruit salad or smoothies for another day. In my opinion cinnamon sugar goes with everything so BYO container for this from Wasteless Pantry]

Bliss balls

[Zero waste tip – these can be made ahead and frozen in small batches so that you can whip them out as needed.  Also feel free to get creative with the ingredients by swapping in what you love and have on hand – maybe you prefer macadamia nuts or sunflower seeds, or dried apricots, or try adding in maple syrup if you like it sweeter and rolling in coconut or dip in chocolate for a more decadent treat.  The main thing is to use up what you have rather than having bits and bobs going stale in your pantry]

So there you have it, simple and delicious!

Customise to appetites and guests as needed.

Photo credits

Photo by Kate Remmer on Unsplash

Photo by Best Recipe Team

Photo by Monika Grabkowska on Unsplash

Photo by +Simple on Unsplash


Practical Gift Giving Guide

The Lost Art of Not Giving Crap Presents

Do your Christmases and birthdays revolve around getting and giving plastic, over packaged trinkets and novelty gifts that are enjoyed for less than one hour and then become awkwardly pushed aside, dust collecting reminders of rushed decision making and consumerist manipulation?

Or maybe you’ve been regifted one of these little treasures?

I ask these questions not in judgement, but in awe of how easy it is to get caught up in the hype of the festive season and leave all reason behind.  As much as I love waste less living, reducing waste, talking rubbish and being thrifty and creative, this time of year I feel the pull of buying stuff.  Who doesn’t love showing how much they care by doing nice things for others?  The thing is, doing nice things for others is not the same as buying something, just to give something.  Thinking through the life of the purchase requires a little more in-depth enquiry.

Will this person find this novelty gift funny for years to come? Yes, great get it! No, then maybe just recap what you saw the next time you catch up.

Will this person have space for this gift in their home long term? Yes, fantastic! No, then is there something else consumable that might be more appreciated?

Does this item fit with who this person would like to be?  Yes, fantastic! No, show your support by not making them agonise over wanting to be grateful vs. becoming the person they want to be.

I get that picking out the right gift for someone is hard!  But I also wonder if sometimes we forget to ask, does this person even want a gift from me?  Would they rather my company, a hand with something or just a smile?

So I titled this blog post “Practical Gift Giving Guide” and whilst I think the most practical gift is often nothing at all, here are some other ideas that might relieve the need to give something good:

  • Handmade tea blends: How about pulling together your own blend of herbs and petals that would be most soothing for the person in mind?  Think a combination of lemongrass, peppermint, hibiscus, ginger & cinnamon for an uplifting blend or chamomile, lavender, rose petal, rosemary for a fragrant calming blend.
  • Fragrant bath bags: Much like an oversized tea bag for your bath.  Again, choose your own blend of loose herbal teas plus some Epsom salts and bicarb to relieve tension and soften skin.  Pop it all into a little refillable bag (like our soap nut bags) and you are good to go again and again.
  • Homemade soaps: Palm oil free soaps can be hard to come by, so stocking up for a friend who cares about this topic may be just the treat they were after.

  • Individual chocolate bars and rocky road: If you popped into Wasteless Pantry last week you would have had the opportunity to try out Christmas Bark (white chocolate topped with cranberries and pistachios).  It took me less than 15 minutes to make, was delicious and the combinations are endless!  Just melt chocolate buttons or bits of your choice and top with your friend’s favourite flavours.  Maybe they love dark chocolate topped with pepitas, hemp seeds, goji berries and slivered almonds; or perhaps white chocolate topped with trail mix and chia seeds? Delicious!
  • Reusable items: If you have a friend that is preparing for next years Plastic Free July or saw the War on Waste and wants to get themselves equip to waste less, how about supporting them.  Think BYO coffee cups, reusable shopping bags in pretty designs, produce bags, reusable baking liners, metal straws or stainless steel drink bottles.  It can be a bit of an investment to get yourself kitted out to start with so this type of thing is greatly appreciated.
  • Recipe jars: For that friend who loves the idea of cooking from scratch but finds it tedious to gather the ingredients, show your love by doing it for them (or get us to, we won’t tell on you!) and popping a recipe on the back of the container to make cooking a breeze.

Just a sample of ideas to get you started and you can always pop into Wasteless Pantry to have a chat if you have a very tricky friend to find something for.

You never know what inspiration you might find.

Photo credits:

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash

Photo by Yoori Koo on Unsplash


The 12 Wasteless Days of Christmas

Eco Christmas – Green Christmas – Earth Friendly Celebrating – Zero Waste Gifts

Do those words strike fear?  Do they conjure ideas of deprivation and judgement?  Do they sound like an impossible ideal?

We are here to inspire you and encourage a little less waste, without compromising the joy and jubilation of the season.

We’ve already been hinting at giving less but more thoughtful gifts.  What other ideas are there?

Most of these ideas are nothing new.  It’s just about remembering how nice it used to be to enjoy quality rather than focussing on the quantity.

12 Ideas for a Zero Waste Christmas 

  1. Give up buying gift wrap – there are so many more beautiful ways to present your presents.  What about making reusable gift bags?  Not a seamstress? Then how about using a op shop pillow case with a ribbon to close.  Or look into furoshiki and simply use a square piece of beautiful scrap fabric that can be reused and repurposed endlessly.  If you have kids, then use one of their many paintings or drawings 🙂
  2. Reuse last years Christmas cards as gift tags or to craft your own new design of Christmas cards.  Instead of buying more this year, how about sending a e-card.  There are many very funny and cute ones out there that will be great to enjoy as the receiver without then having something to throw away.
  3. Consider what reusables you have available to avoid disposable items.  Such as cloth serviettes, stainless steel straws, glass bottles for water, metal cutlery and plates.  If you are worried about the clean up after then set up a washing station where everyone can take care of their own mess.  Most people would love to be involved and help out, so let them!
  4. If you are giving gifts then consider a secret santa/kris kringle.  Everyone gets a name or gender to buy for with a price range.  You only have one gift to give and you get one in return and you will be able to afford better quality gifts.  It is easy and far less stressful.
  5. Consider giving gift vouchers for your time rather than for a product or store.  Time is the most precious commodity these days.  Your friends and family will surely love to know that they will get to do something lovely with you throughout the year.
  6. Keep an eye on your portion sizes and only cater as much as a person will reasonably eat.  We all the know the parties where there was so much food that the host was still eating the same meals a week later.  To guide you, think about what a person can fit on a plate.  If you have so much of everything that there would be more plates filled than people to eat them, scale back.  Everyone will thank you as many eat out of guilt of the effort you have gone to that has been left untouched.
  7. Make something.  If you are artistic, create something.  If you are crafty, fashion something.  If you are a cook, bake something.  If you are uninspired, check out pinterest or grab a Gift Jar from us 😛
  8. Reuse last years Christmas decorations or get out into the natural world for inspiration and supplies.  There are beautiful things that can be done with nuts, vines, popcorn strings, cinnamon sticks, branches, fabric, a bit a glitter and some glue.
  9. Suggest your guests bring a resealable container and divvy out any leftovers.  This can be your gift to them and their gift to you.
  10. When sourcing produce for your deliciously planned menu, think about what is in season and locally available.  We are very lucky to have a wealth of fresh foods harvested locally – think mulberries, stone fruits, berries, cherries as well as local seafood & meats.
  11. Get to know your local wineries, breweries & distilleries for locally produced celebratory drinks!  If you ask nicely you may be able to take back your bottles after, or even fill up a reusable growler of beer to take home.
  12. How about doing your bit for local charity shops (and those less fortunate as well) by stocking them with all your goodies that go unused?  I’m sure that everyone has at least one or two items in their home that are in good quality but never see the light of day.  Op shops love your items and so will those that frequent them.  If your kids are into Santa and not yet ready to part with their toys for goodwill purposes, then tell them that Santa doesn’t bring presents if he thinks you have too much stuff.
  13. Just because we love to exceed your expectations – here is a bonus idea!  Give the gift of an experience rather than another thing that will need to be cleaned up and cared for.  Vouchers or a promise to go hot air ballooning, tickets to the local pool, the zoo, the movies or a trip to the beach are all gifts that will be appreciated for more than one day of the year!

What other ideas do you have up your sleeve?  Share them below and have a very happy festive season!!