This month is Plastic Free July, an idea originating from Australia that encourages us to give up single use plastic for a month.
I haven’t completely made up my mind as to whether I will actively take part in Plastic Free July this year. I participated a couple of years ago (post here) and really struggled with finding alternatives that matched a)my time and b)budget.
However I like to think I have learned a lot since that experience, and incorporated some of the plastic-free habits into my everyday life.
So, with this in mind, I’ve set up a very loose guide as to how I am going to participate in Plastic Free July this time:
- Continue with my ‘good habits’, that is to take reusable shopping bags, refuse plastic straws and disposable cutlery and, instead, bring my own.
- Refuse the top four single use plastic sources: carrier bags, straws, takeaway coffees and plastic bottles. I do most of that already (see above) but could be better with the latter two.
- Not beat myself up if I make a ‘fail’.
So, since the beginning of July, I have gone out and about with my new(ish) reusable bamboo coffee cup:
I have carried water in my brilliant Lakeside container that keeps drinks hot or cold:
We managed a plastic-free picnic for school sports day last Friday:
I also undertook a mammoth baking session at the weekend to ensure we had lots of unwrapped, homecooked snacks
I have, however, been not so good when it comes to plastic wrapping. I went to the cinema and bought a packet of Maltesers (although I also took my water bottle instead of buying a plastic bottle there); went shopping with my youngest and bought a few things wrapped in plastic; bought trainers online that came in a plastic bag.
As much as I think I have fairly good habits when it comes to refusing plastic and waste, it is only a drop in the ocean. But when I look at how far I have come since before participating in Plastic Free July in 2014 it is quite a distance….
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