Plastic Free July

Have you heard of Plastic Free July? It started as a small movement in 2011 in Australia and has since expanded to over 150 cities with millions of participants. Plastic Free July aims to challenge people to not use any single-use plastics during the month in hopes to help them form more sustainable habits that will carry on beyond July.

Here are some easy swaps for beginners:

1. BYOC (Bring Your Own Cup) – it can be a reusable cup, thermos, or even a mason jar.
2. Say no to plastic straws – adopt the phrase “no straw please” when ordering a drink and get yourself a reusable option like a stainless steel, bamboo, glass, or silicone straw for sipping.
3. Bring reusable bags – always keep one in your car or your bag because you never know when you’ll need one.
4. Reusable water bottle – I feel like everyone owns one (or even multiple) of these. Train yourself to bring it with you everywhere you go.
5. Bamboo toothbrush – easiest personal hygiene swap.
6. Bamboo utensils – they’re lightweight so it’s easy to carry them around. Keep them handy for snacking.
7. Stainless steel container – pack your lunch for work or a snack for on the go, bring leftovers home, or buy bulk with these containers to cut down on plastic and styrofoam waste.
8. Sustainable packaging chapstick – okay, technically not single use but we go through chapstick so quickly and the plastic container mostly ends up in landfill. Bonus point: it’s all natural, non-toxic!

You can choose just one or two single-use plastics to refuse for the entire month (and/or beyond). A small change makes a big impact.