It wasn't until Lottie Dalziel tried to drastically reduce her waste as part of her New Year's resolution in 2018 that she realised how hard it was not only to find environmentally friendly products but also to find credible information around waste. 

Banish was born in a bid to help Australians reduce their waste with the right products and even better information.

Banish is very passionate about the environment, waste and so much more that in November 2020 Lottie started the Banish Recycled and Disposal Program (BRAD) to offer an end-to-end solution for some of those hard-to-recycle household items such as blister packs, toothpaste tubes, lotion bottles, coffee pods, bread tags and so much more.  

Did you know that only 4% of the plastic that has ever been made has been recycled? Banish are trying to grow this number significantly.

In July 2021, The Balcony Garden announced that our entire organisation, manufacturing supply chain and product life cycle is 100% carbon neutral. Living more responsibly is something the whole team is extremely passionate about, thus, the team were very keen to spend time with Lottie and other volunteers to learn more about what they do and to bring their learnings back to the office and into their homes.

Last Friday, Tayla, Jacqui and Belle volunteered at the BRAD recycling program. The team learnt first-hand what can and can’t be recycled, but also were fortunate enough to chat to Lottie about her background and recycling. We were happy to know that we diverted 173kg of waste going into landfill that day!

What is your background and how and why did you start Banish? 

Honestly, I have no sustainability background. In 2018 I made a new year’s resolution to reduce my waste and found it so difficult and overwhelming. I just wanted a reliable source of information so when I couldn't find it, I created it! Four years later and I get to wake up every day and do what I love.

How can someone become more environmentally aware? What are small steps that they can take? 

I don't like to be prescriptive because everyone’s life is so different and so too is our sustainability journey. A couple of broad things to think about are: reducing your single-use plastic usage (coffee cups, water bottles, cutlery), make conscious purchasing decisions this could be buying loose veg over ones wrapped in plastic at the supermarket or buying from a sustainable fashion brand. And most importantly to consume less! Do you need a new top, do you need to drive somewhere when you could walk, and do you need that beauty product or do you already have one at home?

What are some common mistakes people make about recycling? 

People are unfortunately way too optimistic when it comes to recycling! People throw so many things into their recycling bin hoping that it can be recycled when sadly far less can actually be recycled at home than we think

Name 3 non-recyclable items that we think are recyclable? 

Blister packs, coffee pods and tetra packs from alternative milks (sadly only a small portion of councils take these).

What are some easy habits I can form to lessen my single-plastic use? 

Forming a new habit is hard but doing it with someone else makes it so much easier. Hold your coffee buddy or lunch date accountable and remind one another to use your reusable cup and cutlery. After a while, it will become so normal you won't even think twice about it.

Are there other organisations or initiatives that I can get involved with to help? 

Banish of course! We have a stack of educational content online to help everyone whether they're at the start or are smashing their sustainability goals. Planet Ark is also a great resource and so is Share Waste if you're looking to get into composting.