Plastic Free July is an international initiative developed by a Perth council to raise awareness of the amount of plastic in our lives. The challenge is to refuse single use plastic during July.

Some of you may think it is too difficult to stop using plastic. It is. Plastic is ubiquitous and it is made to last a very long time.  It is packaged around our food. Some would even say it has started to become a part of our food.  It is in our make-up and personal hygiene products. It is in our clothing.

However, if we put in a little thought and effort we all can reduce our usage of plastic. I have been concerned about the impact of plastics on the environment for years.  This concern was heightened on a recent trip to Sri Lanka where I was totally disheartened by the rubbish on the beaches, in the ocean and on the streets. Waste reduction is a global responsibility.

Some ideas to aid in this challenge would be to:

• take your own shopping bag or pack your shopping in a box
• either reuse or refuse produce bags
• purchase products packaged in cardboard, paper or glass
• avoid cling wrap – use a plate, clean shower cap or fabric covers over your leftovers/bowls
• opt for refills and bulk purchases
• ask for meat to be wrapped in paper or take your own container to the butchers
• BYO coffee cup and support cafes that reduce the price of a takeaway coffee if you BYO
• refuse plastic straws
• say ‘NO’ to bottled water
• line your rubbish bin with newspaper
• pick up the plastic litter
• ask yourself if you really need that new piece of clothing – consider clothes swaps with friends or an op shop purchase

Continue the challenge if travelling:

• take your own reusable coffee cup and water bottle
• purify the local tap water with tablets or a UV water purifier
• take your own snacks, earphones, and reusable cutlery

Think- Reduce, Reuse, Refuse, Rethink, Repair.

If we are all a little wiser with our purchases and consumption habits, a cleaner and healthier environment will follow.

For more ideas and to accept the challenge go to www.plasticfreejuly.org

Choose to Refuse.

Source: Baker, W  'Ecoportal'  http://ecoportal.net.au/plastic-free-july/ 21 July 2017
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We can all do something to refuse single-use plastic - the challenge is quite simple...attempt to refuse single-use plastic during July and be part of the solution to the growing problem of plastic pollution in our environment.

Plastic Free July aims to raise awareness of the amount of single-use disposable plastic in our lives and challenges people to do something about it. You can sign up for a day, a week or the whole month and try to refuse ALL single-use plastic OR try the TOP 4: plastic bags, water bottles, takeaway coffee cups and straws. You can also sign up your business, group or school. There are plenty of ideas on the Plastic Free July website.

Plastic Free July is an initiative of the Western Metropolitan Regional Council (WMRC) in Perth, Western Australia. It was developed by Earth Carers staff and started as a local community initiative in 2011 to educate residents on the important notion of 'reuse'. Last year over 36,000 people from 85 countries joined the challenge.

Every bit of plastic ever made still exists in the earth somewhere. Aside from the negative health impact of food and beverages being stored and cooked in plastic it is estimated that 8 million tonnes of plastic enters the oceans per year where it entangles and is ingested by wildlife. Of the top 10 items found in ocean debris 5 are associated with beverages.  Australians send 1 million tonnes of plastic to landfill each year. Most of our commonly used disposable plastic items are a convenience and in one weekwe go through 10 billion plastic bags worldwide.

Every day we encounter single-use plastic: bags, water bottles. straws, food packaging & takeaway coffee. We can all take steps to avoid plastic becoming a problem. Remember your shopping bags and water bottles; refuse over packaging & choose reusable alternatives and pick up plastic litter. When you sign up Plastic Free July will email you ideas, tips and recipes each week in July. By taking on the challenge, refusing single-use plastic in our own lives we can together make a difference.
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Source:  Notes provided to John Lloyd by Jenny Geer, BSFG Plastic Bag Action Group