5 Tips for Plastic Free July
Plastic has become unfortunately an integral part of our daily lives and contributes to a large part of your waste generated every day. One of the biggest issues with plastic is that it is not biodegradable, therefore not compostable, and on average globally only 9% is recycled, while 22% is mismanaged. Plastic waste accumulates in landfills, waterways, and oceans, polluting the environment and posing a threat to the survival of various species. It is extremely necessary to reduce plastic use and help create a plastic-free future to control environmental pollution for our future generations.
It is difficult to avoid plastic in our modern-day lifestyles and habits, but if we take some conscious steps, we can easily manage plastic use and reduce its harmful effects to bring some positive outcomes in our lives.
Let’s begin the journey with the Plastic Free July campaign, a global social movement which started in 2011, turning the tide on plastic waste, one choice at a time. Millions of people across the globe take part every year, refusing a single-use plastic item and then committing to reducing plastic pollution far beyond the month of July by organising their own campaign with plastic free slogans etc. Here are some useful but easy tips to start avoid plastic use in day-to-day life.
Choose One of These Easy 5 Plastic Free July Tips
1. Use Your Own Reusable Shopping Bags & Reusable Produce Bags
Most of the carry bags used by shop owners are made of plastic which is handed over to the customer to carry the materials purchased. But eventually, these bags go to waste and pollute the environment. A very good practice is to bring your own reusable bags for shopping that can’t be thrown to waste afterward.
This habit needs to be developed extensively which has a direct impact on the generation of plastic waste. The shopkeepers are bound to stop using plastic carry bags since these have no use. Many prominent cities in the world have already implemented the ban on plastic carry bags as an enforcement measure. But we should all consider it as a responsibility to say no to plastic carry bags and make our environment cleaner. We’d say this is one of the crucial most tips for plastic-free July, and it should be one of the first ones to master.
2. Use Reusable Coffee Cups
While at the workplace, it’s our habit to drink coffee in a disposable cup and throw it in a bin without being worried about its end of life. Most of these cups are made of non-biodegradable materials that end up as garbage affecting the environment.
It’s not a great deal to carry a plastic free reusable coffee cup in your bag and make perfect use of it during breaks avoiding the use of disposable cups. With a significant reduction in the number of disposable cups thrown away every day, you can contribute to a plastic-free office and work environment and reduce your carbon footprint in the long run, while looking after your health as disposable cups are often lined with HDPE plastic that leach microplastics into your coffee.
Related: 3 Types of Stylish Plastic Free Reusable Coffee Cups You Can Take Anywhere
3. Carry a Reusable Water Bottle
Plastic water bottles are used everywhere for the convenience of storing and use. But it has toxic effects on the quality of drinking water on prolonged use or exposure to light. The bottles add nothing but to the garbage after disposal. The more healthy and eco-friendly option is to use bottles made of glass, or stainless steel. These small steps would help address the waste issues caused by plenty of single-use plastic bottles discarded every day. This is a very reasonable way of keeping ourselves safe, healthy, and free from plastic pollution.
Related: How To Go Plastic Free for Beginners? Your First 10 Items!
4. Avoid Plastic Wrap and Disposable Plastic Containers At Home
Plastic pouches, plastic wraps, and disposable plastic containers are part of our everyday life but this need to be evaluated. If you look around you will see many such objects that you use but we’re not giving attention before or taken for granted.
At their end of life replace plastic containers with glass jars and go for recyclable and plastic free packaged products. Let’s bring some meaningful changes in our habits and use plastic-free kitchen & household products that can make a significant impact on our environment as well a on our health since many plastic containers have BPA and other bisphenols.
Let’s give it a try and you will find many more ways to contribute toward a plastic-free month without making a lot of effort. You may have to compromise a little on your convenience but in turn, gain a lot more by ensuring a healthier and cleaner future ahead.
Related: 14 Best Plastic Free Books to Read in 2025
5. Get Rid of Disposable Utensils
The use of spoons and forks and plastic straws is becoming a matter of concern in every part of the world. Plastic cutlery is found to be the most dangerous to sea lives and plastic containers, bottles, and accessories have been littering most tourist places for years.
As responsible citizens, we must not litter our towns, pile up landfills or chock the waterways with plastic disposables. Say no to plastic cutleries and straws while taking away foods and drinks. You have a lot of options now to be environment-friendly and help reduce plastic pollution. Replace plastic cutlery and plastic straws with reusable cutery sets and reusable straws.
Related: Plastic-Free July: A First Timers Real Life Experiences Going Plastic Free.
Final Thoughts
Increasing plastic pollution is a very serious concern for humanity and we need to do our best to tackle this problem. We are free to make our lifestyle choices, but also should think about how we can make our contribution to address the problem of plastic pollution by taking some conscious and simple steps. We hope that these 5 tips for plastic-free July have helped you decide to give it a go as it might be less daunting than it looks like!
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