The sustainability sisters
Toni Sappong, 30, a family doctor, and Lin Sappong, 28, a model
neighbourhood: Danforth
Zero-wasters since: March 2018
monthly waste: One small grocery bag
Why you decided to try to go zero-waste: Lin: We watched the documentary
A Plastic Ocean. I got an hour in and started bawling my eyes out. I still haven’t finished it! I decided that day: no more plastic.
Toni: The plan was to go plastic-free for 30 days, but when that was over, we knew we couldn’t go back.
Items that are banned in your home:
Lin: Plastic water bottles and those stupid red party cups. We host a lot, and everyone gets a proper glass or mug.
Items you own a lot of:
Toni: Jars. And oils that we use for conditioner, lip balm, cooking—literally everything.
Items you always carry with you:
Toni: My travel mug, cutlery and my Onyx food container. If I’m feeling really bougie, I’ll carry beeswax wrap.
Guilty pleasure you can’t give up:
Lin: Potato chips. I’ll eat a whole bag in one sitting.
Waste-free product or service that you wish was available in Toronto:
Toni: Food delivery and takeout in nonplastic containers.
Your most ingenious zero-waste life hack:
Lin: We stole most of our best ideas, including our recipe for Vim: castile soap, eco-friendly bleach, baking soda and lemon oil. It works on everything.
Omnivore, vegetarian, vegan or other: Toni: We call ourselves planetarians. It means eating in a way that’s sustainable for the planet. I don’t eat meat or fish, but I don’t freak out if my soup is made with chicken stock.
Where you buy groceries:
Lin: Summer is easy because there are so many farmers’ markets.
Toni: In the winter, Karma Co-op, Urban Bulk, Refill and Bare Market.
Where you buy clothes:
Lin: As a model, I used to buy so many clothes from fast-fashion brands for auditions and shoots. I don’t anymore, unless I absolutely have to. I recently had a photo shoot where I needed skinny jeans, and I couldn’t find them in a thrift store. I bought a pair from Zara, went to the shoot and then returned them.
Where you buy toiletries:
Lin: We use baking soda to brush our teeth. We use all-metal safety razors. It took me a while to find waste-free mascara, and to this day, I’ve only found one brand in Canada that has recyclable packaging, called Elate. It’s not perfect, but it’s better.
On a scale of one to Greta Thunberg, give yourself a sustainability score: Toni: Seven. We have a ways to go, but we’re trying. In December, we’re taking a freighter across the ocean to visit family instead of flying. It’s an eight-to10-day journey each way, depending on weather.