St Kilian’s Parish in Bendigo already has a Laudato Si’ Action Plan in motion, and is putting Pope Francis’ call to care for our common home into practice. But, as they’ve discovered, even something as simple as recycling can be surprisingly complex – and transformative.
At St Kilian’s Parish, the parish Earthcare Team is steadily working through its Laudato Si’ Action Plan, turning aspirations into practical steps. Recycling quickly emerged as a challenge: how to reduce waste at weekly hospitality and parish celebrations. What had looked straightforward soon proved to be complex.
“Every type of plate and cup we had thought was destined for the green waste had PFC* coating,” shared Marie Bonne, St Kilian’s Eathcare Team Member. “That is as terrible as PFAS! “
To help unravel the confusion, the team invited Gabrielle Turner-Eylander, a Resource Recovery and Education Project Officer from the City of Greater Bendigo. Thanks to Gabrielle’s training, parish leaders now confidently guide newcomers and regulars alike through the parish’s waste stations – separating food scraps, rinsing dishes, and diverting rubbish from landfill.
“We now have well-informed leaders demonstrating at each event, to the many new arrivals in our parish as well as long-term residents, how to use our food waste system beside the washing-up water, and putting correct items in the green and red non-recyclables bin,” explained Marie.
Looking ahead, St Kilian’s hopes to move beyond disposables altogether. Plans include encouraging parishioners to bring their own cups, introducing recyclable bamboo plates and wooden cutlery, and even installing cup hooks in the parish café, which will help to make re-use easier.
For St Kilian’s, sustainability is no longer an abstract goal. It’s in the small, faithful choices –washing up, sorting scraps, re-using cups – that the parish is learning what it means to live the spirit of Laudato Si’.
* PFC stands for perfluorinated compounds, synthetic chemicals used to make products water and oil repellent. These “forever chemicals” take up to 1,000 years to break down, leading to accumulation in water, soil and even our bodies, with studies showing potentially harmful effects on human health.
