Plastic Free July

Plastic Free July is a worldwide movement to encourage people to make the swaps from single-use plastic to reusable so we can have cleaner oceans, streets and a healthier planet.

All you need to do to be a part of the change is refuse single-use plastics and opt for sustainable alternatives. Once you apply to take part, Plastic Free July will offer ideas and resources to guide you in your challenge to better the planet and encourage you to keep up the good work.

How to live plastic-free

Reusable water bottles and coffee cups are becoming increasingly more popular and easier to find. Cafes and coffee shops all offer their own reusable alternatives that you can purchase in-store instead of disposable paper cups. Try to resist the urge and wait until you can sit down at a café and order a drink in a durable mug or glass. If you think you may be tempted by a coffee in the day, pop your re-usable coffee cup in your bag just in case you might want to use it later on in the day.

In the UK, we are fortunate to have safe drinking water, straight from the tap. Many countries aren’t blessed with this privilege that we often take for granted.

Always bring reusable bags. You never know when you might need a shopping bag if you’re out and about so it’s always best to keep one in your bag at all times. Shopping bags don’t have to take up much room in your bag or pocket. You can purchase collapsible shopping bags that compress into their own sack and can be the size of a small wallet or tennis ball. Very useful for popping out to grab a few things.

Being able to live plastic-free comes from being prepared. This is a good life lesson to learn because in day-to-day life when you are prepared, you are less likely to be late and make silly mistakes.

Being prepared within the plastic-free world means making your lunch the night before or waking up early to make them in the morning. Put the contents of your packed lunch into a re-usable container then you won’t need to pop out for lunch and feel tempted by the convenient plastic packaging. If you have made something that needs to be wrapped up, avoid cling film and opt for a sustainable alternative such as beeswax wraps.

Being prepared also comes down to your food shops and knowing what meals you want to have during the week. Make sure you check the use-by dates and cook the foods which have the earliest use-by dates first. Becoming plastic-free means you may have to shop around instead of grabbing everything in one supermarket.

Living plastic-free can seem like a daunting and expensive prospect however, these swaps tend to last longer meaning you don’t have to buy them as frequently.

We hope these solutions have given you some inspiration to go plastic-free this July.