Q & A: Anna Dawson, Plastic-free Pantry Waiheke
Anna Dawson is one of 4 Waihekeans who’ve created Plastic Free Pantry. They’re on a quest to make Waiheke become a plastic free, zero waste haven, by creating plastic free alternatives to buying food – making their incredible plastic free vision achievable, affordable and convenient.
Q. Hi there Anna! How’s your morning been?
The morning has been great thanks, just hanging with our 10 week old ☺
Q. Tell us a little bit about Plastic Free Pantry.
Plastic Free Pantry is a Waiheke island start up with the goal is to kick plastic in the butt. My husband Robin and I sailed 9000 nautical miles from New Zealand to the Philippines in 2014 and it was really after that experience that we realized we absolutely must do something to stop plastic pollution. We have a 3 year old and a 10 week old who we really want to enjoy the ocean as we have, so that’s the inspiration behind plastic free pantry.
We buy food in bulk and sell to customers in reusable containers and paper bags. We are starting in the pantry but eventually hope to provide Waiheke with an easy platform to purchase anything for their plastic free needs. We have just started selling stainless steel straws engraved “Straw Free Waiheke” and we also stock keep cups, glass jars, and bamboo products, the list is always growing! I am getting amazing help and inspiration from Waiheke residents Kim Hill and Toni Christian and Robin is getting more and more involved as the business grows.
Q. Plastic Free Panty has been praised by locals and visitors alike. Amazing work! For those who don’t know, what are the benefits of going plastic free in the kitchen?
Well I cycled around the Philippines for three months picking up rubbish from the beaches and time and time again I saw that most of what we were picking up was food packaging. A lot of the products packaged in plastic have heaps of preservatives and aren’t that good for us. So we’re really encouraging people to be kind on themselves as well as the environment.
My husband made a new years resolution in in 2015 to go plastic free for the year and without a doubt the hardest place to do that was the kitchen - but we’ve also been healthier for doing it! The soft plastic packaging that is prolific in the kitchen can’t be recycled in New Zealand. There are some schemes which take the plastic to Australia and turn it into park benches and that kind of thing, but my take on that is that eventually there will be enough park benches and still more plastic being created, so we need to stop it at the source. There are a few other businesses doing similar work in the city but for us we prefer to think global and act local. Eventually we’d like our customer base to grow enough that we might even go down the path of picking up jars from homes, refilling them and returning them to the customer. Like how it used to be for milk! We have lots of cool ideas like that for the local market if we can make the business fly!
Q. In your own opinion, what do you think Waiheke’s biggest struggle is with plastic use?
I think because there is a big hospitality industry and high visitor count there is a lot of plastic waste generated that all needs to go back to the mainland. It’s much better not to create it in the first place!
Q. How do you think Waiheke can overcome plastic use?
I think we can look at each plastic item one at a time, find a replacement and then move onto the next item. Lots of work has been done on plastic bags, and straws, and with plastic free pantry cutting down on kitchen waste we are making good inroads but have a long way to go.
Q. What’s one of your favourite stories or memories you have with Plastic Free Pantry?
Definitely the smiles on some of the faces when we deliver their box of plastic free pantry goods, as well as some amazing feedback from customers, and the fact that even though our customer base is quite small at the moment everyone is coming back for repeat orders, so this must mean we are doing something right!!
Q. What are 3 different companies, individuals, or not-for-profits that inspire you? Why?
With regard to the crusade against plastic pollution I’m a lover of 5gyres as the couple that started are both sailors like my husband and I. This is a huge problem to solve but lots of amazing organisations and businesses are working to turn it around. Ive just become aware of 4oceans who remove a pound of trash when you buy one of their bracelets. I love business models like this where you buy something and pay to facilitate beach clean ups, its something I’d like to get into in the future. Also there are organisations that aren’t only fighting plastic pollution but are getting so involved in the cause and doing an amazing job - like Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd. That’s 4, there are so many! In terms of individuals I went to see Jane Goodall speak last year, what an incredible woman!
Q. What’s the next steps for Plastic Free Pantry?
We are building to get a strong contingent signed up for Plastic Free July on the island. We will be giving welcome packs to everyone who registers that have a couple of freebies and there will be discounted food if you shop at Plastic Free Pantry in July. We are hoping to organize a screening of Chris Jordons albatross, as well as have a midwinter swim to connect to the oceans. If you live on Waiheke, care about the ocean and what to fight against plastic this will definitely be something to get involved in.
Q. What’s a quote you live by?
I’m a believer of grassroots change, small actions do matter. The following quote I read in a book by Jamling Norgay, and it’s one that I am going to keep reminding myself of in 2018.
“We shouldn’t believe that a small wrong doing can do no harm, because even a small spark can ignite a giant pile of hay. Similarly the value of the smallest good deeds should not be underestimated, for even tiny flakes of snow, falling atop another, can blanket the tallest mountains in pure whiteness.”
– Jamling Norgay
PLASTIC FREE PANTRY
Plastic-free bulk bin products, delivered to you.
www.facebook.com/plasticfreepantrywaiheke/
