It’s Plastic Free July!

What’s it all about? Plastic Free July is a global movement helping millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution, by choosing to refuse single-use plastics. People get involved in so many ways – from households buying unpackaged produce at greengrocers, to councils creating reusable ‘mug libraries’, communities hosting green cleaning workshops, corporates shifting procurement practices, and brands redesigning their packaging.

Why? Australia is one of the biggest consumers of single-use plastics, and only 14 per cent of plastic waste is kept out of landfill. To tackle this problem we can’t rely on cleanups and recycling we need to “turn off the tap” and reduce it at the sources.

What can we do? Remember reusable water bottles and coffee cups, buy unpackaged produce, switch to solid soap bars… It’s not about being perfectly plastic free (I’m still not), it’s about making small changes that together make a big difference.

Your inspiration? In 2011, I visited my local recycling facility. I was overwhelmed by the volume of waste and the challenges to recycle, especially plastic. At that moment I knew the best thing I could do was to put less in my bin, so the following month I started to reduce my plastic waste. As more and more people joined in, Plastic Free July was born.

The results? Last year, 174 million people worldwide (2.3 million Australians) took part – together avoiding 2.8 billion kilograms of waste. From just 40 people back in 2011, it’s a home-grown success story!

Describe your garden: My garden in Fremantle is a miniature version of the planet – a small ecosystem where every element is connected and impacts the whole. We have compost bins and a worm farm. Despite reducing my plastic, I still find things like old fruit stickers or tea bag tags in the soil – reminders of what we leave behind. On the positive side, as we plant natives, put up bird nesting boxes and develop leaf litter and habitat I see local native birds, insects and lizards.

For more info and to take part in the challenge head to plasticfreejuly.org

Header image by iStock