5 easy tips for Plastic Free July. Give plastic the bird

What started as a local movement in Western Australia 8 years ago, is now a global movement. Do what makes sense to you

The aim of Plastic Free July is to raise awareness about the damage caused by disposable, single-use plastic items and to empower people to reduce plastic waste in their lives.

Each year, millions of people around the world commit to the Plastic Free July challenge. The beauty of the Plastic Free July challenge is that it's designed to be inclusionary, you choose your commitment based on what is realistic and achievable for you with your current life situation.

Maybe you can commit to going 100% plastic free for the whole of July. If so, huge kudos to you because as eco-minded as we are here at Live Life Green, 100% plastic free for a whole month is unachievable even for us. Sometimes life just gets in the way, like when we need to feed the kids some sort of (palm oil free!) snack on the run.

Maybe all you can commit to for Plastic Free July is refusing a disposable coffee cup for just one day. If so, huge kudos to you for taking the steps that you could to reduce your plastic waste. If everyone in Australia did this one little thing and refused a disposable coffee cup for just 1 day, 2.7 million plastic, disposable coffee cups would be saved from landfill! That one little action, multiplied by a lot of people has the power to make a big difference. (We sell Cheeki, but there are heaps of excellent reusable coffee cup options around.)

So on that note... How to prepare for Plastic Free July: 

1. Commit to actually participating in Plastic Free July in some form.   
   
   Just commit. Right now. The following steps will help you with the details, but all you need to do right now is to make a commitment to Plastic Free July. 
2. Decide what that commitment looks like to you.
   
   What is realistic and achievable for you this Plastic Free July? Decide on your time frame. Will you commit for a day, a week or the whole month? What will you choose to refuse? A particular item? All single-use take-away items (coffee-cups, cutlery, water bottles ect)? Plastic packaging? All forms of plastic? I personally am committing right now to choosing to refuse packaged snacks (including chocolate!) for the whole month. With 2 kids and a crazy life I'm not saying it's going to be easy, or that I'm going to succeed....but I'm going to dang try my hardest. 
3. Share your Plastic Free July commitment with friends and family.
   
   This does 2 things. It holds you accountable to your commitment and it raises awareness of the plastic free cause and encourages them to take action too. 
4. Plastic Free July doesn't have to cost you a cent.
   
   There are lots of ways to reduce plastic waste in your life without going out and buying things. For example, you could buy your bread at a bakery and ask for a paper bag instead of plastic. You could simply refuse a straw with your drink (I realise this isn't an option for people with certain medical conditions). You could bring cutlery from home to avoid plastic cutlery when having take away. You could drink your coffee in a mug at a table instead of ordering it to go. If you do decide that your Plastic Free July commitment will be replacing a single-use plastic item with a reusable, sustainable option, make sure you have it organised now so you're ready to go. You'll find plenty of plastic free inspiration here if you need it. 
5. Finally...have fun, enjoy and share your journey!
   
   You never know who will find inspiration in what you're doing. 

Aaaaaand last but not least. Be kind and forgive yourself if you don't do it 'perfectly' or you forget a day. Focus on the change you did create, it all makes a difference.

Something incorrect here? Suggest an update below: