Many Australians are still confused about what can and can't go in the yellow recycling bin and this is their biggest error.

What began as a New Year’s resolution about rubbish has turned Lottie Dalziel into a TikTok sensation with 37.6k followers.

In 2018, the 28-year old from Bondi set herself the challenge of reducing her waste. Her aim wasn’t to change the world and she didn’t think it would be hard to be more conscious of what she chucked in the bin. But she was surprised.

“I ordered a bamboo toothbrush online to do the right thing and it came wrapped in plastic packaging,” Lottie said. “I saw there was this big disconnect and the lack of education was eye-opening.”

Instead of dumping her resolution Lottie chose to start providing that education and in 2018 she launched her website, Banish.com.au.

“I found some amazing suppliers out there who were doing the right thing. I could also find information about how to reduce my waste but it was really difficult,” she said. “So I thought if I put it all together in one place it would be easier for people to make a difference.

“Banish is a one-stop shop for all the products you need plus all of this great education.”

Shockingly Australia ranks the fifth highest in the world for generating the most rubbish but is the 55th largest country.

“It doesn’t add up,” Lottie said and once Banish was established she decided she needed a new platform to spread this message to a younger audience. In November 2020 she took TikTok by storm.

“One of my most popular videos is the one about the three most common mistakes Aussies make when they recycle,” Lottie said, explaining these include putting plastic recycling in a plastic bag; throwing greasy pizza boxes in the paper recycling bin when they should go in general waste; and trying to recycle e-waste in kerb-side bins.

Are you doing it right? ♻️ #recycle#recycling#gogreen#sustainabilitytips#recyclingmatters

“Just a few of the wrong things can contaminate a whole truck of recycling,” Lottie said. “Polystyrene is a huge culprit. This needs to go in general waste because if even a small piece gets into plastic recycling it breaks into hundreds of bits and the whole load will end up in landfill.”

Other videos with thousands of likes include Lottie’s demonstration on how to recycle Easter egg wrappers and why buying single bananas helps the environment because they are one of the most wasted foods in supermarkets.

That’s bananas 🍌 #foodwaste#banana#lifehack#gogreen#sustainableliving#foodtiktok

Lottie has now quit her job as a journalist and is making a living out of her war on waste.

“I want people to look at their recycling bin and think of me,” she said.

Another 20-something who noticed a waste problem and decided to solve it is Julia Kay.

The former architect spent her life trying to find environmentally-friendly building solutions but would be frustrated when the sustainable materials came wrapped in plastic.

“Every business uses pallet wrap from building sites to supermarkets and cafes,” she said.

It means 150,000 tonnes of it goes in Aussie bins every year where it then takes decades to decompose.

In 2019 Julia, 29, and her husband Jordy, 30, set to work on righting this wrong. Fast-forward to today where they have a successful business making biodegradable cling wrap out of potato starch.

“We knew there were solutions to make compostable plastic but we needed to work on making it the same price and quality as the regular stuff so it became an obvious switch,” Julia said.

The couple, who named their brand Great Wrap, started with household and catering cling wrap which they sold through their website greatwrap.co

While they haven’t earned a profit yet, 2022 is the year for huge expansion with the launch of their own pallet wrap and they say they already have some big customers on board.

“Our ultimate goal is to end the reliance on petroleum-based plastic,” Julia said. “And we won’t stop with wrap. Our technology can be used to make all kinds of flexible packaging. It’s a super exciting space to be in and Jordy and I have to pinch ourselves most days.”

Emma Levett is a freelance writer.

This content is created in sponsorship with Volvo.

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