World Environment Day takes place on Friday, 5 June 2026 and is one of the largest international days for the environment. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Environment Day 2026 focuses on climate change and calls on all of us to step in. To mark this important day, we caught up with Lottie Dalziel, founder of Banish, and Westfield Sydney’s 2024 Local Hero, to learn about the incredible work being done in our communities to combat climate change.

What is Banish?
Banish is an education platform that aims to teach Australians how to live more sustainably. It’s all about turning information into action and breaking everything down into small, incremental steps. I believe that together, we can all make an impact, so we take hard to recycle items, that otherwise would have gone into landfill and recycle them.

What inspired you to start Banish?
It started out of a personal need. I wanted to do something, but I wasn't really sure where to start. I wasn't living sustainably at all, but I was starting to see those really scary headlines and thought, “well, what can I do about it?” I couldn’t find information on how to do small things like swap out a plastic straw or start composting at home. I wanted to be able to share information and make it easy.

I started off sharing my own personal journey and it was resonating with a lot of people. I'd look at things like a pill packet or a bread tag and wonder why I couldn’t recycle these items. They’re made from plastic or a combination of materials. I’d research and find small Australian micro recyclers who could take the items, but they needed 2,500 bread tags, so I thought if we pulled together the community, we could hit these minimum volumes and actually be able to recycle them.

Your work connects deeply to sustainability. Why is World Environment Day important for our community?
For us, every day is World Environment Day. But I think the day itself is a really great time for us to acknowledge and to think about our impact, and also the small steps that we can do as individuals, as communities, as groups, and as companies in order to live more sustainably. It gives us a chance to reflect and to think about where we want to go and how we can make that difference.

You were recognised as a Westfield Local Hero in 2024. What does this mean for you personally?
It was an absolute honour to be named Westfield Sydney’s 2024 Local Hero. I don't do any of this for recognition, but it was an amazing opportunity for us to reach and connect with new people who didn't know about Banish. We operate very close to the Sydney CBD, so to be involved with the community and see them really get behind us in the voting process was really exciting.

How has the funding helped with the work you do?
The funding has allowed us to unlock some really key initiatives, like our kids’ education program, where we can reach students in remote and regional communities who might not have access to sustainability education and really help bring that to life.

What would you say to people who want to live more sustainably, but are unsure where to start?
The biggest thing that I'd like people to know is that together we can really make a big impact. It's all about taking those small, actionable steps that will make a big change. Sustainability itself can feel overwhelming. It can feel like you're only one tiny drop in the ocean, but together, I think we're proof that as a community, we can band together to make a really big impact.

Westfield continues to partner with program alumni to grow their impact. Learn more about the Westfield Local Heroes program and our 991 finalists and heroes from the past 8 years here.