Plastic Free July is exactly what it sounds like, a movement to try and encourage people to use less or no plastic in the month of July. It’s a really good way for people to get involved and think about what they’re buying and to hopefully make some permanent changes to reduce the amount of plastic in their day to day lives.
When Did Plastic Free July Start?
The first Plastic Free July was back in 2011 and was started by Rebecca Prince-Ruiz and a few people from the local Western Australian Government. It’s quite incredible that a small campaign in Australia is now known around the world with millions of participants from numerous different countries.
Plastic Free Foundation Ltd
Plastic Free July is now part of the Plastic Free Foundation Ltd, founded by Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, in 2017.
The Plastic Free Foundation Ltd is a not-for-profit, independent organisation which believes, as one of its core values, that ‘small changes add up to a big difference’. It’s hard to disagree with that sentiment, although many people do seem to think that their individual actions have no impact.
Visit the official Plastic Free July website.
Why Do We Need To Reduce Plastic?
How much plastic is disposed of annually in the UK?
The UK throws away an estimated 295 billion pieces of plastic waste every year! Much of this plastic is single-use and not recycled (either because it can’t be recycled or because people just chuck it in the bin rather than the recycling bin).
“For a year Mr Webb, who lives in Margate, Kent, stored all the plastic waste he threw in the bin, collecting up a total of 4,490 individual pieces of plastic.
Some 93% of the plastic he used in a year was single-use packaging, and two thirds was used to package, wrap and consume food, the Everyday Plastic report by Mr Webb and researcher Dr Julie Schneider shows.
Some 70% was not currently recyclable, the report estimates.
Based on national collection rates of recyclable material, only 10% of the plastic he got through in a year would be recycled, with just 4% recycled at UK recycling facilities and the rest exported.
The remaining plastic waste would be sent to landfill or burned.” – ITV
Even though you might throw your plastic waste into the recycling bin or into the household rubbish, some of it can still escape and enter our waterways, killing marine life or entering the food chain.
Is burning plastic bad?
There are advantages and disadvantages to burning plastic waste, and there’s a big difference between burning your plastic waste at home and at a waste-to-energy plant.
Burning plastic waste at home
“Burning trash isn’t just bad for human health, It could pump more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Smoldering garbage turns out to be a significant source of the greenhouse gases causing the climate change.
Burning of plastic, rubber, or painted materials creates poisonous fumes and they can have damaging health effects for the people who have asthmatic or heart conditions.” – read more about all the ways burning plastic at home is harmful to health and the environment here at Online Sciences.
Incinerating plastic waste at waste-to-energy plants
“(Waste-to-energy plants) torch garbage at very high temperatures, creating steam that is then used to generate electricity and sometimes also heat buildings. (…)
Proponents of waste-to-energy(…) argue that these facilities are a great idea because, for one, they reduce the staggering volumes of garbage we create. (…) They also say keeping garbage out of landfills prevents the emissions of globe-warming methane and is more efficient than trucking trash to faraway dumps. Plus, plastics generate more energy than other refuse when burned. Their thinking goes: Since we’re throwing most of our plastics away anyway — recycling rates are stuck around 30 percent — why not burn it to recover that energy? Otherwise, we’d probably be burning a virgin fossil fuel for the same power.
(Those who are against burning plastic waste) are concerned that incinerators spew (…) noxious chemicals (…). They still create toxic ash that ends up in landfills, and those high-temp fires emit more carbon than a coal plant. And they distract us from the real solutions, which should be recycling and composting, not simply burning (…).
(Those who are for burning) retort that high-tech scrubbing tools keep their chemical emissions well under EPA air quality standards. (Those who are against) counter that the methane from landfills can be collected as biogas and burned for power, too.” – Grist
How to Reduce Plastic in Your Home
Many of us want to see less plastic in the shops but plastic production is amping up. This is why consumers need to use their buying power to show the producers that we’re not prepared to keep on buying so much single-use plastic. If lots of people refuse to buy products packaged in single-use plastic they’ll soon start providing products that we’ll actually spend money on. It’s all about profit after all!
It can be extremely difficult to avoid plastic, but there are some really simple changes we can all make to dramatically reduce the amount of plastic that is produced and sent to landfill.
- Firstly, always recycle any plastic that can be recycled.
- More importantly, try to avoid plastic as much as possible!
Buy Loose Fruit & Vegetables
Most plastic in the home comes in the form of food packaging. Take a look at the contents of your shopping bags and it can be quite a wake up call. One of the easiest ways to reduce single-use plastic is to buy loose fruit and vegetables. If you have a greengrocer or farmers market nearby use them rather than a supermarket as they tend to use far less plastic. If you have to use your local supermarket only buy the fruit and vegetables that can be bought loose and avoid the plastic wrapped option.
Stop Buying Plastic Drinks Bottles
Get into the habit of not buying bottles of water or other bottled drinks when you’re out and about or doing your weekly food shop. Get yourself a reusable water bottle and remember to take it out with you. There are quite a few water refill points popping up all over the country so you can access fresh water if you run out. If you feel the need for a fizzy drink, try to buy a glass bottle or a can of drink which are much more likely to be recycled.
Avoid Takeaway Coffees or Carry a Reusable Cup
Not that long ago disposable coffee cups didn’t exist and we all managed perfectly well. We used to sit down in a cafe and enjoy a mug of coffee, or we’d wait until we got to the office or got home and had our coffee there. Take your time, sit down and drink your coffee while you watch the world go by. Or, carry a reusable coffee cup around with you so you’re not contributing to the unbelievable number of disposable coffee cups the UK gets through every year. (7 million every day!).
Carry a Reusable Shopping Bag
Instead of spending 10p for every plastic bag you need every time you go shopping, carry reusable bags with you at all times. Even reusing your 10p bag would make a massive difference to the amount of plastic we, as a nation, get through every year. Find a bag with a design you really like and want to carry around and you’re far more likely to remember to take it with you.
The tips above are the simplest and easiest ways to reduce the plastic entering your home. Even if everyone only made the 4 changes above, the amount of plastic the UK had to dispose of would be reduced by a massive amount. But there are so many other things you can do to avoid plastic in your day to day life. Read 25 Ways To Use Less Plastic for more tips!
Why Take Part in Plastic Free July?
We all need to take more responsibility for our individual impact on the environment. Taking part in Plastic Free July (search #PlasticFreeJuly on social media) can lead you to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle and to seriously consider what you’re buying (and if you even need it). Take part and try to encourage your friends, family and neighbours to take part as well.
There are loads of environmental campaigns throughout the year to help you to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. Check out the Environmental Awareness Calendar for ideas.
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Hi I am a member of a small local environment group in Lancashire UK. We are interested in promoting Plastic Free July. I cannot seem to find anything definitive for the UK, mostly goes back to the Australian website. Do you know if schools or businesses have to pay to be part of the initiative? Is there a website/e mail address for the UK? I would be glad of any help.