Environment Matters Spring/Summer 2022

Finding a natural work-life balance Sustainability is a way of life for Sammi from Kitchentopia – at work and at home.

As you walk in the door of Kitchentopia you find a treasure trove of sustainability. Out the front is a free community library with books and jigsaws, inside you can enjoy a coffee in a fully compostable cup. There are mesh bags made in Walloon, homemade scrunchies, shampoo bars and liquid laundry detergent refilling station alongside various kitchen pots, pans and products. The basket of luffa sponges has come direct from owner Sammi’s backyard, and on the Kitchentopia Facebook page you can find tips for coffee scrub and turning fresh turmeric into powder. Despite being a retail store full of stock, owner Sammi doesn’t have a general waste bin at Kitchentopia. In fact, the wastepaper basket they use for general rubbish goes home to her kerbside bin once a month, on average.

“When we get a new product we go for minimal waste and packaging. If it comes in lots of plastic we won’t take it,” she said. Re-using is also important – from the rinsed coffee cups becoming seedling pots, to the 20L laundry soap dispensers given away through Facebook. For Sammi, the goal is for people to value the time and money it takes to manufacture products. “I think striving for ‘zero waste’ is unrealistic, especially for families,” she said. “It’s about having that little think when you buy something, about the lifecycle of it. It’s going for the product with less packaging or spending a little more for an item that will last longer. “It is frustrating if someone spent time and money to make something and it just breaks and gets thrown out because it’s cheap to replace.”

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