RESTORE putting an end to single use plastics one milk bottle at a time

It’s just after 5.30am on a Friday morning and still dark outside when we hear the clink of glass at our front door as the sensor light pops on. A stray cat? Random neighbour? Burglar (really – in our ‘hood?).

“Is it the milkman mummy?”, asks my bleary eyed 8-year-old. She’s not usually awake at this hour but the excitement of having her milk home ‘delivered’ has been enough to get her out of bed. Unlike staying up to catch Santa with his sack of presents, she’s struck gold this time – and she’s right. It’s the good folk from RESTORE – a plastic-free, milk and dairy delivery service whose goal is to reduce plastic waste produced in the local area by 3,000 kg by the end of this year.

Dominic Ryan, crowned the ‘modern milkman’ by Channel 9’s The Today Show, heads up RESTORE and is dropping off our delivery of full cream Jersey milk, Greek yoghurt and lush Jersey cream. All in sustainable gold-capped glass bottles and jars using fresh milk sourced from Tilba Dairy, an independent producer on the far South Coast of NSW.

According to Dominic, the idea behind RESTORE was inspired as much by environmental sustainability as wanting to support Aussie dairy farmers who were struggling to survive the supermarket system.

“Every week on bin night, I was shocked by how much plastic packaging there was in our kitchen bins,” says Dominic. But despite Dominic’s efforts to shop plastic-free, he felt the options were limited especially as the big players – many still entrenched in single-use plastic packaging – weren’t doing enough, and he felt there had to be a better way.

What followed was a round of community consultations with Dominic surveying households in Sydney’s lower North Shore to understand if something could be done to reduce plastic waste. What he discovered made him quickly realise the community shared his views.

Ninety five percent of the people surveyed said they were very concerned about the amount of plastic packaging their households produced and that they were motivated to reduce plastic usage at home. In fact, 78% of people said they would choose to buy products that were better for the environment.

With support from the community for reducing plastic waste, Dominic shifted his attention to the products he felt could benefit the most from a sustainable, closed-loop system. Aware of the plight of Aussie dairy farmers, many whose farms had been decimated by supermarket price wars and natural disasters, and with few options available to recycle plastic milk and yoghurt bottles, RESTORE was born – and with it the return of the milkman!

“Our model isn’t new”, says Dominic. “It’s simply restoring what we once had and taking us back to our grandparents’ days when there was no single-use plastic. For decades, the milkman supplied neighbourhoods with milk in reused glass bottles – at RESTORE we’re doing exactly the same.”

So how does RESTORE work?

It’s simple. Sign up for a subscription at weekly or fortnightly intervals and your dairy goodies – milk, yoghurt and cream – will be dropped off at your doorstep on a designated day, all in reusable glass bottles. At your next scheduled delivery, pop out your clean empty bottles for collection and they’ll be picked up as your milk and dairy products are delivered.

And how good is the milk?

In a word: delicious. Our full cream Jersey milk is smooth and rich with a flavour that makes you want to drink a glass all on its own – in fact my daughter downs two glasses without even asking for her usual ‘hot choc’ (a win in my books).

I’m more of a light milk gal myself but decide to add a splash of milk to my tea and notice I don’t need my usual teaspoon of sugar. The natural sweetness and flavour is enough to turn my ‘cuppa’ into something a bit special. Intrigued I add some milk to my bowl of cereal and again the same magic. Whether it’s the fact the milk has been sourced from a single, high-quality dairy producer or the knowledge I’m doing my bit to help the environment that makes me like it more, I just can’t tell. But there’s no denying it’s not supermarket milk, even the colour seems richer, almost butter-like.

Not surprisingly, the Jersey cream is a delight too. We whip some up to serve with scones later that week when friends drop by and even they comment on the flavour (could there be a theme here?). The Greek yoghurt is quickly consumed – we turn it into a tzatziki dip, dollop it over fruit and I drizzle honey over it for a healthy after-dinner dessert. No complaints on that one either.

As I wash out the jars and bottles with the cleaning brushes supplied by RESTORE my daughter asks when we’re getting our next delivery and if she can wait for the milkman again. I smile knowing it won’t be long – especially with RESTORE launching deliveries in the inner west.

What suburbs does RESTORE deliver to in the Inner West?

RESTORE currently delivers to post codes 2037-2050 and 2130 – with the list of locations growing. Don’t see your postcode on the list? Shoot the RESTORE team an email at hello@restore.au to have your post code added to the waitlist.

🌟 SPECIAL OFFER

For Inner West Mums members, RESTORE are offering 20% OFF your first two orders using code IWMUMS20 – but be quick, this offer is only valid until the end of September.

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