Forget Dry July. Join the millions of people reducing their plastic waste during Plastic Free July.
While cutting out booze during our coldest month of the year seems drastic and unnecessary, have you considered the less extreme, equally gratifying maneuver of going without plastic? Plastic Free July is the global movement inspiring over 120 million participants to say no to single-use plastic products. Spanning over 177 countries, this small change in your day-to-day routine will collectively make a massive difference to your community, not to mention the future of our planet.
With the NSW Government recently pledging to drastically cut the amount of plastic we have in landfills by 2025, there’s no better time to go without. Things like straws, stirrers, cotton buds and polystyrene cups will be phased out 12 months after the legislation is passed, with a review on plastic cups, heavy bags and fruit stickers to be carried out within three years. They’re even rolling out an education program on disposing of food and organic waste that will be funded as part of the $365 million, five-year strategy.
You’ll find plenty of ideas to help reduce your single-use plastic waste, whether it’s at home, work, school, or even at your local café. If you’re not prepared to go totally plastic-free, the good news is that you can sign up to smaller pledges, including avoiding single-use plastic packaging or target takeaway items (the top 4: bags, bottles, straws and coffee cups).
Don’t feel up to the month-long commitment? You can pledge to go plastic-free for 1 week, or there’s even an option to go sans-plastic for just one day!
Here are our 5 ideas on how you can reduce your single-use plastic during July:
Say no to takeaway coffee cups and buy a keep cup (if you haven’t already…)
You don’t need to say no to your daily takeaway coffee, just the non-recyclable cup. There are so many great keep cups on the market these days – we love these ceramic ones made by Pottery For The Planet.
Use plastic wrap alternatives
Does your leftover food get wrapped within an inch of its life in cling film? It’s time to get acquainted with beeswax food wraps. While they are a little on the expensive side, these wraps are the reusable, washable and sustainable alternative to single-use plastic. Hop on Bee Wrappy to purchase yours today.
Toss your plastic toothbrush and say hello to bamboo
While it might be obvious, many people don’t realise that their oral hygiene regime might be environmentally unfriendly. Say no to your disposable plastic toothbrush and say hello to these cool bamboo alternatives. Bamkiki is an Australian-owned brand making eco-friendly toothbrushes made from sustainably sourced bamboo.
Say no to plastic straws when buying a drink
Despite the fact that many bars and cafés are now converting to paper alternatives, you can easily reduce your plastic waste by saying no the venues still using single-use plastic straws. If you don’t want to give straws up completely, there are plenty of stainless steel, bamboo, glass and paper alternatives on the market.
Get some reusable fruit and vegetable produce bags
You might have nailed BYO-ing grocery shopping bags, but are you still falling victim to single-use plastic when buying loose fruit and vegetables? Instead of reaching for the single-use bags in the fresh food section of the supermarket, it’s time to get acquainted with Onya resuable produce bags.
Live around Bondi? Get involved in Bondi BYO Cup Week