SEASONAL AND SUSTAINABLE LIVING - AUGUST: YOUR GUIDE TO RECYCLING

11 August 2020 - Posted by the Sisterhood of Sustainability

With the arrival of August, you should spend more time outdoors and to make the most of the fresh air and blue skied days. As always, we’re sharing with you some beautiful and delicious recipes that can be created with this month’s seasonal produce and we’ll also be teaching you the ins and outs of household recycling!

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN SEASON IN AUGUST

There is so much delicious fresh produce in season this month...

SEASONAL FRUITS

Blood Oranges - Cumquat - Custard Apples - Ellendale Mandarins - Fuji Apples - Imperial Mandarins - Lemons - Limes - Lady Williams Apples - Murcot Mandarins - Nashi Mandarins - Navel Oranges - Sundowner Apples - Pink Grapefruit - Pawpaw - Pineapple - Pomelo - Rhubarb - Tangelo -Yellow Grapefruit

SEASONAL VEGETABLES

Avocados - Asian Greens - Bok Choy - Beetroot - Broccoli - Brussel Sprouts - Cabbage - Carrots - Cauliflowers - Celeriac - Celery - Choy Sum - Fennel - Garlic - Ginger - Gai Laan - Horseradish - Jerusalem Artichokes - Kohlrabi - Leeks - Okra - Olives - Onions - Parsnip - Potato - Pumpkin - Shallot - Silverbeet - Spinach - Swede - Sweet Potato - Turnip - Witlof

YOUR GUIDE TO HOUSEHOLD RECYCLING

Recycling is so important because it - Reduces greenhouse gas emissions - Saves energy and water - Conserves non-renewable resources for future generations - Reduces reliance on landfills - Creates more job opportunities than landfill disposal - Makes caring for the environment easy

Place items made from paper, cardboard, firm plastic, metal (aluminium and steel) and glass in your recycling bin at home. If you’re unsure whether an item may be recycled, ask yourself “What is it made from?” If the answer is paper, cardboard, firm plastic, metal (aluminium and steel), or glass you can be confident it can be recycled. Even if it does not have the recycling symbol it can still be put in your recycling bin at home.

RECYCLING PAPER

YES - Newspaper, junk mail, brochures, office paper, gift wrapping paper, used note books, packaging paper, glossy paper and magazines, envelopes (including window envelopes), phone books, greeting cards, coloured paper, paper bags and scrap paper.

NO - Padded envelopes, photographs, thermal fax paper, wax-coated paper, tissues, toilet paper, baking paper and nappies.

Why can’t we recycle tissues or nappies?
Not only is it unhygienic for items containing bodily fluids to be processed alongside other recyclables, the paper fibres in these items are too short to recycle making it too difficult to recover any worthwhile material.

RECYCLING CARDBOARD

YES - Cardboard boxes, milk/juice cartons (e.g. long-life milk and fruit juice cartons/boxes), egg cartons, toy boxes, pizza and cereal boxes, detergent boxes, tissue boxes and cardboard coffee cups.

NO - Wax-coated cardboard boxes e.g. fruit boxes.

Why can’t a wax-coated cardboard box be recycled?
The wax covering the box makes too difficult to recover paper fibres.

RECYCLING PLASTIC

YES - All firm and flexible plastic containers such as soft drink bottles, takeaway containers, margarine containers, milk and juice bottles, yoghurt tubs, biscuit and sushi trays, detergent and shampoo bottles, and disposable plates and cups.

NO - All soft plastics such as plastic bags, plastic film or cling wrap, chip packets, toothpaste tubes, bubble wrap, styrofoam and polystyrene products*, straws and disposable nappies. Hard plastics that are not containers such as toys or toothbrushes cannot be recycled.

Why can’t we recycle soft plastics?
While plastic bags and other soft plastic packaging is sometimes made from recyclable content, their light-weight nature often results in them getting caught around moving machine parts, causing machines to jam. You can dispose of soft plastics including bubble wrap in your general waste bin, or return them to the major supermarkets where they are collected and recycled using specialist technology.

RECYCLING METAL

YES - All aluminium and steel packaging can be recycled including aerosol cans, paint tins (empty and dry), aluminium foil and pie trays. Vegetable and food cans, pet food cans, soft drink cans, pie trays, aerosol cans, aluminium foil and paint tins (empty and dry).

NO - Batteries, gas bottles, wire, scrap iron or tin, cutlery and whitegoods.

What should I do with other metal items that cannot be recycled through the household recycling bin?
You can dispose of other household items including batteries, gas bottles, scrap metal or whitegoods at one of Council’s resource recovery centres.

RECYCLING GLASS

YES - All clear, green and brown bottles and jars, including jam jars, food jars, sauce bottles, beverage bottles, perfume and vitamin bottles.

NO - Drinking glasses, ceramics, window glass, light bulbs, mirror or window glass, heat-proof glass and cookware such as Pyrex.

Why can’t I recycle these items?
The glass used for bottles and jars is heavy duty and durable, while other glass types are designed for specific uses making them more fragile, transparent or heat resistant. When mixed with recyclable glass, other glass types weaken the new glass products. Glass not suitable for recycling is best to be thrown in your general waste bin.

TOP TEN RECYCLING TIPS

Identify recyclable items around the house - It’s easy if you remember that if it is made from paper, cardboard, firm flexible plastic, metal (aluminium and steel) or glass, it can be put in your recycling bin at home.

Recycling symbols may not always be right - Remember if it’s made from the five materials listed above, it can go into your recycling bin. Other things, like plastic bags, can only be recycled through other dedicated recycling services. For example, plastic bags can be recycled via some supermarkets and should not be put in your recycling bin at home.

Aerosol cans are recyclable - You can safely dispose of all empty aerosol cans and containers that previously held household chemicals in your recycling bin.

Trust the process - Do your best to decide if an item can be recycled, but trust the technology at the recycling facility to remove non-recyclables if you get it wrong.

Use different bins to collect more - Make collecting your recyclables at home easier by placing a bin for recyclables in your kitchen, bathroom and laundry. Sorting your recyclables at the point of disposal will help you to recycle more.

Containers do not need to be rinsed before being placed in your recycling bin. Although rinsing does reduce bin odours, not doing this will not ruin the whole load of recycling.

Do not put your recyclables in plastic bags - Instead place the items loose in your recycling bin. Plastic bags cannot be opened at the recycling facility for safety reasons, and all the goods inside are sent to landfill.

Don’t forget that every little bit counts - Even making the effort to recycle one or two extra items each week, such as the junk mail from the letterbox or the empty air freshener can from the bathroom, helps to conserve precious resources from going to landfill.

Remove the lids from containers and bottles before you place the bottles in the recycling bin and lids in the rubbish bin.

Only glass jars and bottles are suitable for recycling - Drinking glasses, ceramics and heat-proof glass (e.g. Pyrex) melt at a different temperature and cannot be recycled. Put these items in your rubbish bin at home.

SUSTAINABLE RECIPES FOR PAPAYA

Papaya, generally sold as red papaya, is oval in shape with yellow-orange skin and sweet orange-red flesh. Don’t mistake it for pawpaw which is rounder and larger in size and sold as yellow pawpaw.

BUYING
To eat straight away, choose papaya with yellow skin thats slightly soft to touch. Pick firm papaya with yellow-green skin to ripen.

STORING
Store at room temperature to ripen. Once ripe, refrigerate for up to a few days. If cut, cover and refrigerate.

Liven up your breakfast or morning tea: toast wholemeal bread or fruit loaf. Top with ricotta cheese, papaya slices, a spindly of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey.

For a tangy and delicious salad, combine chopped green papaya with cucumber, some sherry tomatoes, roasted peanuts, mint, coriander, basil and chilli. Dress the salad with fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and olive oil.

Mix up a salsa for grilled chicken or fish: combine chopped papaya, red capsicum, tomato, red onion, coriander and a squeeze of lime juice to taste. Serve immediately.

SUSTAINABLE RECIPES FOR TANGELOS

Tangelos are a hybrid of a mandarin and a grapefruit. They have thin skin that peels more easily than grapefruit, with a slightly more tart (although still sweet) flavour than an orange, with few seeds. Tangelos are identifiable by their small ‘neck’. In Australia, the main variety is the tangelo minneola.

BUYING
Select tangelos that feel heavy for their size with reasonable firm skins that are free from blemishes.

STORING
Store tangelos in the fridge, or at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Chop the flesh of one tangelo into chunks and add to any basic muffin or pickles mixture along with wet ingredients. Top muffins or pikelets with tangelo zest to serve.

Make a tangy salad dressing by combining tangelo juices and zest with apple cider vinegar, grated ginger and a little chilli. Serve over rocket or Asian salad greens, sliced capsicum, bean sprouts, toasted cashews and peeled, deveined and cooked prawns.

Try this yummy tangelo trifle: Divide 8 sponge finger biscuits between 4 x 1 cup capacity ramekins. Combine 2 tablespoons warmed berry jam of your choice with 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries or raspberries. For each dish, drizzle one tablespoon freshly squeezed tangelo juice over sponge biscuits layer, then add 1/4 of the berry mix, then top each with 1/2 cup natural yogurt. Sprinkle each with a handful more berries and a little tangelo zest. Chill trifles for at least 30 minutes before serving.

SUSTAINABLE RECIPES FOR CABBAGE

There are four varieties of cabbage sold in Australia. Green which ranges from light to dark green in colour. Red, which has this purplish leaves, Savoy, which has winkled leaves and ranges in colour from light green to a blueish colour and Chinese cabbage (wombok) which is elongated in shape with broad, pale leaves and a sweet mild flavour.

BUYING
Choose heads of cabbage that are firm and heavy for their size. Fresh cabbage will have crisp, compact, brightly coloured leaves. Avoid cabbages with yellow leaves or brown blemishes.

STORING
Cabbage can last up to two weeks when stored in a plastic bag in the crisper. Once it’s cut, cover to insure it stays fresh.

Make a ‘Bubble and Squeak’ bake. Mash leftover cooked potatoes, carrots and peas (or any leftover cooked vegetables) with steamed, chopped green cabbage and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Spread mixture into a baking dish, top with grated cheese and bake at 220 degrees C for 10 minutes until cheese has melted.

Top regular tacos with this healthy filling: thinly slice a red cabbage and mix with chopped tomatoes and a finely diced red chilli. Toss the mixture with a spoonful of Greek yogurt and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Garnish with fresh coriander.

For a healthy side dish, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon each of cumin seeds and sesame seeds and 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds. Stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add 3 sliced green onions and 1 head of finely shredded green cabbage. Cook, stirring for 3 - 4 minutes, until cabbage is bright green. Remove from the heat, mix in 2 tablespoons lemon juice and serve.

We’ve teamed up with Hannah Thompson @bramblyorchard and Camilla Jorvad @sigridsminde for this blog series and will be sharing their photos and little snippets of inspiration from them throughout each post.

Some photos displayed in this blog post have been styled, created and supplied by Camillia Jorvad from @sigridsminde. Camilla who is currently re-wilding a family farm on Ero Island in Denmark. She uses gardening and living mindfully and seasonally as a way of managing stress and depression shares beautiful and creative photos of life on the land. Other photos displayed have been collected from our Pinterest account. Recycling information has been sourced from the Brisbane City Council.