Recycled plastic products are out there...

by Ally Moulis

In the Living Room…

In the living room, you recline briefly on Scallywag Society Cushions made from recycled City of Sydney street banners for a well-earned rest and cup of tea after you’ve rolled out your Recycled Mats yoga mat for your morning stretches. Recycled Mats, as its name suggests, uses recycled Polypropylene to make plastic mats. Their products range from yoga mats to stylish indoor and outdoor floor coverings. As you bend into downward dog, you make a mental note to pack your Recycled Mats picnic rug on your next adventure. Not only are their designs stunning, but they are super easy to clean and maintain thanks to their smooth texture!

Let’s Step Outside…

Wandering into the garden, you admire flowers growing in a Plastic Forests garden bed. Plastic Forests breathe new life into recycled materials by transforming them into backyard essentials. The colourful buds in your garden are bursting forth from a planter that was once a collection of discarded soft plastics. You water the flowers and watch as they soak up their nutrients. 

Lounging on the grass nearby is your dog, wearing an AniPal collar decorated with bright yellow fish and blue waves. Founded by RSPCA veterinarian Steph Stubbe, AniPal prides itself on the creation of recycled, sustainable (and adorable!) pet products. Their collections are the reimaginings of rescued plastic bottles, buckles and metal rings with each collar boasting a gorgeous ocean design, complete with illustrations of delightful underwater scenes. You give the dog a generous pat on the head, and wander back inside. 

Let’s talk dirty…

Laundry that is. OMO’s EcoActive detergent is designed to be tough on stains – not on the planet. Ecoactive packaging is made from 25% recycled plastic, all of which is sourced in Australia. Based on predicted sales for OMO EcoActive’s first year, the product will save the equivalent of 7 million tonnes of single-use plastic bags from entering the environment. That stacks up to 21 million tonnes over the next three years. Inside your washing machine is a Cora Ball, a recyclable device made from 100% recycled plastic, that works to filter the water that flows through our washing machines, catching microfibres so that they can be disposed of correctly.

Remember, Who gives a Crap about the tiniest room in the house

Their 100% Recycled Toilet Paper is as soft as unicorn kisses and as strong as 1000 ponies.

Before You Go…

With a resuable coffee cup in hand (of course!), you’re ready to step out and start your day. Heeding the forecast for a wet summer, you throw your Team Timbuktu 100% Recycled Rain Jacket into your Ahisma Collective Tote Bag (made from 100% black washable paper & lined with 100% Ecoprene; or post consumer plastic water bottles). However the morning is sunny, so you slip on your Dresden sunglasses, taking comfort in the fact that Dresden’s regular frames are made from fully recyclable nylon, but loving the fact that they’ve made limited-edition glasses from milk bottle tops from local cafes, marine debris collected from Aussie beaches, recycled wood chips, beer keg caps used by Newtown brewers Young Henrys (giving new meaning to the phrase ‘beer goggles’!) and fishing nets discarded by trawlers and washed up on the beaches of Arnhem Land (the amazing durability that makes these ‘ghost nets’ so devastating to sea life makes this Nylon 6 ideal for spec frames).

See You Soon...

So, how did it feel spending time in a home dedicated to the use of recycled plastic products? Knowing that the Australian brands featured in this house tour are striving for change right here in our own backyards is certainly encouraging. Moving forward, how might you begin to transform your space into one that is eco-friendly and that supports sustainable grassroots businesses? Have faith - recycled plastic products are out there, just waiting for you to take them home. 

What now?

Can you help build the BUY RECYCLED Collection?

We want to showcase as many Recycled Content Products (RCPs) and products with recycled packaging as we possibly can. If your company meets the criteria and you want products featured in our BUY RECYCLED Collections (at no cost) please complete our Product Listing Form. If you're a customer, who simply knows of a company doing great things with recycled content please give us a tip, so we can approach them to be included.



Ally Moulis is an educator, editor and writer from Cadigal-Wangal country in Eora (Sydney). She is particularly interested in the role of storytelling in motivating action on climate change and currently co-edits an anthology of creative works centred around understanding and celebrating human/nature relationships.