“I came back realising that figuring out a way to do both things simultaneously would have to be Zero Co’s business model.”

Smith says he still has partners collecting plastic waste internationally, but that Zero Co is now focused on using plastic waste collected in Australia to create its forever bottles. “We’ve been clearing plastic rubbish from beaches at K’gari National Park on Queensland’s World Heritage-listed Fraser Island,” he says.

“That plastic waste will be recycled into containers for environmentally friendly and cruelty-free products like laundry liquid, hand wash, shampoo and conditioner, which are filled by returnable pouches made from up to 40 per cent landfill-recovered plastics.

“We are aspiring to be a no-waste state and on a mission to reach an 80 per cent recovery rate from all waste streams in NSW by 2030.”

Tony Chappel, NSW EPA chief executive

“The pouch-cleaning machine enabled by the EPA’s rebate underpins our entire cyclical model, because without the ability to get the refill pouch back from customers and to clean it, sanitise it and reuse it, the whole business falls over.

“The machine is the engine of our business, but the EPA also helped by organising a free waste assessment to advise on a whole bunch of environmental rules and regulations we needed to conform to, like how to safely dispose of wastewater.”

Government backing proves key

Helping Zero Co to achieve its goal is only one example of the EPA’s Bin Trim Program, which is the largest business recycling program of its type in Australia, supporting more than 38,000 businesses to avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle commercial and industrial waste, and develop circular economy opportunities.

Zero Co is one of 415 businesses across the state that benefited from the Bin Trim rebates, which have allocated more than $6.2 million to kickstart waste reduction and recycling across a range of industries.

“The big insight for me was that solving the plastic problem required two things. First, we needed to stop making single-use plastic and, secondly, we needed to figure out a way to fund large-scale ocean clean-ups and get plastic out of the sea.”

Mike Smith, Zero Co founder

“This is a fantastic example of what government can do to support businesses transition,” NSW EPA chief executive Tony Chappel says. “We provide the know-how and resources, and they take steps to safeguard the environment and reduce their waste.

“We are aspiring to be a no-waste state and on a mission to reach an 80 per cent recovery rate from all waste streams in NSW by 2030.

“As of 2021, NSW is diverting 66 per cent of all our waste from landfill, but commercial and industrial waste remains slightly lower at 53 per cent.

“There’s clearly more to do in the next few years, and we really want to see industry innovating and co-designing circular approaches that protect our environment and achieve meaningful reductions in waste.”

The EPA has developed an updated Bin Trim Networks Program that will provide $6 million over five years to support circular economy networks among businesses with common locations, supply chains or waste materials.