A garden at a Wallsend group home is taking on the plastic problem, while helping an Aboriginal man with a disability connect to his culture and country.
The vegetable and bush tucker garden was created at the specialist disability home through a program run by Home in Place, with help from the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney's community greening program.
The garden contains artwork, created by Hunter Indigenous artist Saretta Fielding, on a message pole made from recycled plastic.
Home in Place's sustainability manager Jandy McCandless said community gardens bring residents together and help them develop life skills.
Sarah Maudsley, a Home In Place disability relations officer, noticed a resident at the Wallsend home named Kim had didgeridoo art in his room. This observation led to the creation of the bush tucker garden.
Plastic Police was approached about a way to build a raised garden bed, with the art on display.
"We have been working with Plastic Police since 2019 and have diverted over 152 kilograms of soft plastic from landfill. Using products made from this plastic contributes to a circular economy," Jandy said.
The garden bed and message pole are made from recycled plastic.
Samantha Cross, founder of Plastic Police, said the pole was a new product designed to help schools and organisations share art and other messages.
She said the plastic used in making the poles had a "chain of custody and full transparency" about its origin and expected lifespan. There are limited markets for plastic waste and Australia has introduced a ban on sending such waste overseas.
A key way to establish long-term solutions to the plastic problem is "if people start looking at opportunities to buy recycled and start asking questions about where it is going and have that chain of custody".
"It's not just about buying recycled, it's about where does that recycled product come from? We know exactly where the products we work with come from."
Only about 10 per cent of plastic gets recycled, which is a massive pollution problem across the globe. Recycling isn't actually happening unless products that contain recycled content are being bought.
As for Kim, he and his three housemates and residents from the disability group home can enjoy fresh lettuce, tomatoes, herbs and bush tucker such as lemon myrtle and lilly pilly.
Brenden Moore, of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney's outreach program, said "there are so many benefits to therapeutic horticulture".
"To grow lettuce, harvest the seeds and grow more is priceless," he said.
He enjoyed seeing people grow their own food for the first time, along with the "sense of ownership and belonging" they gain from gardening.
"Humans depend on interaction. A garden is a very easy and good way of being inclusive," he said.
