Plastic Free July Guide : Be Part of the Solution
/The Plastic Free July campaign started in 2011 and has gained ground ever since. Over the last 5 years participants have avoided 10 billion kilograms of waste. In 2023 89 million people participated globally, reducing their household plastic consumption by 240 million kilograms.
The vision is simple: to see a world free of plastic waste. Plastic Free July provides resources and ideas to help you reduce single-use plastic waste everyday at home, work, school, and even at your local café.
We know that it can still seem daunting thinking about reducing your plastic waste and committing to Plastic Free July so we wanted to put together this guide for everyone thinking of getting involved this year.
First things first, committing to Plastic Free July doesn’t mean you have to completely avoid plastic for the month. As the wonderful Zero Waste Chef, Anne-Marie Bonneau reminds us, there are plastics that are unavoidable, the main 3 being:
Prescriptions/Medication: Most prescriptions come in pre-packed plastic packaging that is unavoidable, this isn’t worth worrying over and no one is asking you to avoid this. If you want to see change in the industry maybe look to write to the pharmaceutical company asking them to research into new packaging types or refill services as part of your Plastic Free July challenge.
Plastic you already own: There is no need to completely rid your home of plastic that’s still in good working order. Throwing out perfectly good items goes against zero waste principles and isn’t what Plastic Free July is about. Plastic lasts, so make sure you get good use out of your plastic items, reusing them for as long as possible. To preserve plastics and help them last longer keep them out of bright light which can make plastic brittle and break.
Plastic you didn’t ask for: Sometimes, no matter how good our intentions, plastic turns up in our life! Whether it be through a delivery you thought would be plastic free or a takeaway meal that was automatically put in a plastic container before you could use your reusable, these things happen! But throughout July we can continue to voice our concerns about plastics and ask businesses, friends and family to think about their actions and let them know why you’d prefer them to use a different option.
The key thing to remember is that we don’t need to be perfectly plastic free. Every piece of single use plastic we manage to refuse this July is one less in the waste stream and that’s creating an impact! Plastic Free July is about being accessible to all, you can start out small, or really challenge yourself! For inspiration check out this Ted Talk with Plastic Free July founder Rebecca Prince-Ruiz to find out how she started the movement after thinking about her plastic recycling and where it went.
Feeling ready to get involved? Its time to start thinking about how!
You can take Plastic Free Julys Pesky Plastics Quiz or you can do your own waste audit, maybe for the first week of July to see what plastic sneaks into your home and decide which ones you will look to avoid for the remainder of the month.
Take the time to think about what will have the most impact for you, as Erin Rhoads, Author 'Waste Not' writes : ‘Plastic Free July isn't just about buying a reusable cup or bag, it's giving people the tools to change their habits, to pause and think how we as individuals can make an impact for the better and reduce our reliance on plastic.’ Start slowly and focus on a few areas where you know you can avoid single-use plastic and build from there. From our own experience this process is pretty contagious! Once you start you won’t want to go back and you’ll be looking at how else you can reduce your waste and avoid single use plastic!
Formally signing up can help with commitment for the month, it also means you will receive helpful emails from Plastic Free July with hints and tips for the month and also encouraging stories from participants around the globe!
Good luck for Plastic Free July!
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