Plastic Free July – Be Part of the Solution

Jul 15

Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues. The material that provides us with many conveniences is overwhelming the world’s ability to deal with them, and affecting communities around the globe.

The conveniences plastics offer also led to a throw-away culture that reveals the material’s dark side: today, single-use plastics account for 40 percent of the plastic produced every year. Many of these products, such as plastic bags and food wrappers, have a lifespan of mere minutes to hours, yet they may persist in the environment for hundreds of years.

As a matter of fact, globally, one million plastic bottles are produced per minute, while ten million plastic bags are used per minute. But is it possible for us to turn the tide on plastic pollution?

Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, who was born and raised on a farm in Australia, visited a local waste sorting facility in Australia, the same site where all her household recycling went when she threw it ‘away’ in the bin and left it out for the council to pick up every other week. During the visit, Rebecca saw the amount of rubbish that was being sorted and realized the heart of the plastic waste and pollution problem was in the quantity of the rubbish. Even if some of it was going to go on, this was not the solution.

*©Nick Fewings via Unsplash (Left)*
*©pepe ceron-balsas via Unsplash (Right)*

After that, Rebecca found that filling the recycling bin with packaging no longer seemed like it was doing the planet a favor. Of course, it was better than sending those items to landfills, but it would be better to reduce the amount being used in the first place. She then decided to challenge herself on going plastic-free for an entire month in July.

"I’m going to go plastic-free next month. Who wants to join me?"

This was eleven years ago, when Plastic Free July® was born.

Today, 250 million people in more than 190 countries are all taking their own personal challenges to slowly reduce the packaging in their waste and recycling bins, together avoiding 2.1 million tonnes of waste, including millions of single-use drink bottles, coffee cups, and packaging, straws, and plastic bags.

This July marks the 11th edition of the annual Plastic Free July® campaign, a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution. The campaign encourages individuals to make small acts of change in their daily lives to eliminate their plastic footprint. It has also been adopted by businesses and organizations that are embracing a green circular economy approach.

Want some tips to find out how you can join the community? We got you covered! Find out more about how you can get involved to be part of the solution to plastic pollution by turning concerns into action. You can start out small, or really challenge yourself! Best of all, we hope that this guide will help you to find great alternatives that can become new habits forever. Together we can make a real difference!

Eco guide - daily life