The second day of spring and Melbourne turned on the sunshine for this year’s Zero Waste Festival. The event hosted by Zero Waste Victoria and held at Federation Square aims to foster community engagement and promote more sustainable living practices. Pharmacycle, as an organisation committed to blister pack recycling, was proud to participate in this year's event to showcase what we do.
Our stall quickly became a hub of engagement. Attendees, curious about our work, flocked to learn about blister pack recycling, the importance of zero waste, and Australia’s first complete blister pack recycling program.
Many discussions were had about blister packs - from their application as an important form of packaging right through to how we repurpose them into new products, preventing them from ending up in landfill. We were impressed by the willingness of Zero Waste Victoria attendees to make tangible changes in their lifestyles.
To make things fun, we also ran a fun competition for the public to participate in - "Guess the Number of Blister Packs!" We had filled a tall tube with blister packs and the task was to guess how many blisters were in the vessel. More than 70 participants scratched their heads and submitted their best guesses.
Throughout the day, there were a range of learning opportunities for the public to hear about the importance of the circular economy and zero waste living. The ‘Fixing a Forked Food System’ discussion was an enlightening experience. The contributions from the crowd on how we as individuals can help to reduce food wastage showcased the festival’s power as a platform for positive change.
The festival also introduced activities that allowed for hands-on learning and the application of eco-friendly practices. The bustling Repair Café and the Menders Circle sessions inspired people to take on the challenge of extending a product’s life by repairing rather than discarding. The DIY celebration cards and stitching indoor footballs activities gleamed with creativity, showing how items we throw away everyday could be given a new life.
The Recycling Centre was a perfect testament to the remarkable ways in which we can repurpose even the most random items like golf balls and cigarette butts. We were also particularly impressed with the work of Boots For All which links sporting goods donations with social impact initiatives across Australia.
Being part of Zero Waste Festival 2023 reiterated the need for efforts towards sustainable living. It was wonderful to see the sheer number of attendees committed to minimising waste, embracing circular economy principles, and repurposing products whenever possible.
Pharmacycle is immensely proud to have showcased blister pack recycling, helping to raise awareness of the issue and demonstrating how even the smallest of actions can have an enormous impact when multiplied across many. As the quote by zero waste chef Anne-Marie Bonneau sums up what we should be encouraging: “We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.”
We can’t wait to be part of next year's Zero Waste Festival!
If you're interested in blister pack recycling or zero waste practices, don’t hesitate to contact us. Here's to a more sustainable future, together! Stay tuned for more events where Pharmacycle will be promoting zero waste practices and the critical work that is happening to transition Australia to a more circular economy.
