Choose to refuse pre-packaged meat, fish and deli products, particularly those sold on polystyrene trays

How can you do it

It’s worth shopping around for a local butcher, fishmonger or deli-counter who sell unpackaged items. Just remember to bring your own reusable container along when you go shopping.

Taking the next steps

Beyond that, you can encourage and support businesses to offer meat, fish and deli items that are unpackaged. You can also talk to them about alternatives to plastic packaging, or direct them to the Plastic Free July website for them to find helpful resources.

Supporting campaigns calling for single-use plastics (including polystyrene) to be banned can also go a long way.

The impact

• By refusing plastic-wrapped meat, fish, and deli products, you can help reduce unnecessary waste and save precious resources.
• Plastic is also fatal for animals who mistake it for food or become entangled in it.

The post Meat, fish & deli appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Choose to refuse pre-packed fruit and vegetables.

How you can do it

Buying plastic-wrapped or packaged fruits and vegetables can be convenient, but unfortunately it creates plastic waste. Instead, consider looking out for loose fruit and vegetables in your local grocery store, or head to a farmers market or organic store where plastic packaging is less often used.

Choosing lightweight, reusable produce bags instead of the single-use plastic bags that are usually provided. Be sure to look for ones made from recycled plastic or repurposed netting fabric. Many stores offer cardboard boxes as alternatives as well.

It’s also worth asking if you really need a bag at all. For example, if you’re buying a bunch of bananas, consider keeping them loose in your shopping basket or trolley and transport them home in your reusable shopping bag?

Taking the next steps

Support stores that provide loose fruit and vegetables. If your local store doesn’t do this, why not share your concerns and request they reduce their plastic packaging. 

The impact

• Avoiding plastic-wrapped fruit and vegetables reduces the pressure on recycling systems.
• Reduces unnecessary waste and saves precious resources.
• Stops plastic bags from entering our oceans and landfill where they break up into tiny micro plastics and remain forever.
• Reduces plastic that is fatal for animals who mistake it for food or become entangled in it.

The post Loose produce appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Choose to refuse pre-packed bread, rolls and baked goods.

How you can do it

Most local bakeries, farmers markets and even supermarkets have sections with freshly baked goods that are yet to be packaged. By heading along with your own reusable bread bag or containers, you can easily avoid single-use plastic packaging.

If you forget to bring your own, you can also ask for a paper bag (which you can recycle later on if clean, or compost or shred and feed to the worm farm).

Taking the next steps

Bringing your own reusable containers and produce bags to do your grocery shopping helps sets a precedent that shows people just how easy it can be to avoid single-use plastic.

The impact

• By reducing your use of single-use plastic, you’ll help save precious resources.
• You’ll also help save plastic bags from entering our oceans and landfill, where they break up into tiny micro plastics and remain forever.
• Plastic is also fatal for animals who mistake it for food or become entangled in it.

The post At the bakery appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Reduce what you buy. Before you make a purchase, ask yourself if you truly need it, or if you can repurpose other items that you already have. Shopping for secondhand clothing and products helps contribute to less waste. Avoid products that are wrapped in plastic, and seek more sustainable alternatives.

Reuse plastic items as much as possible or take to a secondhand store where possible so they don’t end up in landfill.

Recycle correctly, and choose to buy recycled products to close the loop.

Learn about the process and impacts of our production and consumption patterns, and the role of recycling, at the Story of Stuff (20 minutes).

How you can do it

Before you make a purchase, ask yourself 3 simple questions:

• Do I actually need this?
• Is there an option with less plastic packaging?
• Is there an alternative made from recycled materials?

Be aware that recycling rules may change, and aren’t necessarily always the ‘best’ option. In other words, ‘reduce’ should still be your top priority. In saying that, you can still work towards becoming an expert recycler using these tips:

• Find out what’s recyclable in your area
• Check the rules for recycling in your area (e.g. which items to separate, rinse or take to a specialist collection point)
• Ask what can and can’t go in your recycling bins (for example, many recycling systems can’t take old toys, clothing, scrap metal or some types of plastic)

Taking the next steps

If you can’t recycle items in your municipal system, search for special recycling companies near you such as TerraCycle or REDcycle.

You can also support campaigns for:

• Local and on-shore recycling facilities, to reduce the pollution caused by transporting goods
• Governments to regulate manufacturers to minimise packaging and use sustainable materials
• Governments holding manufacturers accountable by implementing extended producer responsibility schemes

The impact

• All of the oil, water and other resources used to make products is wasted if those products aren’t recycled
• By reducing, reusing, and recycling, you can help minimise landfill waste

The post Reduce, Reuse, Recycle appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Remember to take a reusable water bottle when on the go and refuse single-use plastic bottles.

How you can do it

Many people are in the habit of staying hydrated with a reusable water bottle. In places around the world with access to safe drinking water, a reusable water bottle avoids unnecessary single-use plastic water bottles. 

Choosing a reusable bottle that suits your lifestyle can be a great way to get into the reusable routine. Bottles don’t need to be fancy. Some people simply repurpose a glass jar or bottle. If you do purchase a bottle, consider its lifespan. Plastic Free July participants tell us they prefer durable materials such as stainless steel.

Most people keep their bottle in a handy location so they remember it. If you accidentally forget, you can always:

• drink from a water fountain,
• ask a cafe for a glass of water or
• make do in the workplace with a mug or clean jar. 

Taking the next steps:

Encouraging others to get into the reusable water bottle habit can be easily achieved by simply starting conversations at your workplace, event, gym, school or university about alternatives to plastic water bottles. Prepare yourself with info on how to make a difference via Plastic Free July’s founder Rebecca Prince Ruiz’s blog.

Suggesting refill stations at a local government or business level helps to normalise choosing reusables.

Supporting festivals and events that have BYO-bottle and water-bottle hire initiatives. 

Remembering your reusable bottle when travelling is a great way to share the plastic-free message around the world.

The impact

• Reusable water bottles reduce marine debris, protect our wildlife from the dangers of plastic water bottles and caps, remove rubbish on the beach and create a new normal. 
• Despite many people making the switch, plastic beverage bottles and plastic bottle caps were in the top five items collected globally through beach cleanups and other initiatives as recorded in Ocean Conservancy’s 2022 annual report. You can access the full report here.

The post Water bottles appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Choosing reusable bags and making a habit by keeping a stash in handy locations.

How can you do it

Many people use reusable bags as an alternative to plastic bags, but they are only reusable if you remember them. Some favourite places to keep bags are in the staffroom, the car or bicycle basket, at the front door, or where you keep daily essentials such as keys, phone and glasses. 

People tell us that a great habit to get into is returning their reusable bags to their usual spot straight after unpacking their groceries. That way they are always available, even when making an unexpected trip to the shops.

Often people ask us what are the best bags to use. The best bags are the ones you already have. 

Many supermarkets and shops are banning/phasing out plastic bags. If you’re a business owner, you may like to consider offering your customers incentives for bringing their own bag or asking them if they’d like to pack their items into a bag they are already carrying.

Taking the next steps

Many people get creative if they forget their reusable bags. Some Plastic Free July participants grab an empty cardboard box from the supermarket shelf, juggle their items, or even use their hat or ‘hoodie’. Coming out of the supermarket awkwardly cradling your groceries is a great way to remember your bag the next time you shop. 

Others consider making their own reusable shopping bags and zero waste produce bags using repurposed fabric or giving new life to items such as faded pillow cases. Check out the global Boomerang Bag movement for inspiration. If you do need to buy a bag, choose one made from natural fibres and try to reuse as many times as possible to offset production costs.

For those living in areas that have not banned the plastic bag yet, you could consider getting involved with a local advocacy group and petitioning your governing body to make a change.

The impact

• Reusable bags help reduce single-use plastic that is fatal for animals who mistake it for food or become entangled in it
• Consumer pressure encourages major businesses to improve their sustainability measures
• By choosing to refuse plastic bags, you will reduce the microplastics that end up in and remain indefinitely in the environment

The post Reusable shopping bags appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Choose to refuse single-use plastic straws.

How can you do it

If you’re able to, request your cold drink is made without a single-use plastic straw. It’s important that you state this before your drink is made; if the straw is already in there when it’s brought to you, it’ll likely become plastic waste anyway.

For those with accessibility issues or who prefer straws, you can also bring your own sustainable alternatives. There are stainless steel, bamboo, and glass options available on the market, and even foldable reusable straws that you can easily keep in your purse or pocket.

Taking the next steps

Going beyond refusing single-use straws, you can also encourage and support businesses to only provide straws when requested, rather than as a default. Some cafes and restaurants find it helps to put up a poster to let customers know about their efforts to reduce plastic straws.

You can also encourage schools, day care centres, and other child-minding communities you may be involved with to rethink the use of plastic straws in arts and crafts.

The impact

• Single-use straws are used for a few minutes then discarded, where they’ll remain in the environment indefinitely
• They are lightweight and easily blown down drains and into waterways, rivers and oceans
• Straws can become stuck in the airways of animals, or if mistaken for food and ingested can be fatal
• Together, we can get straws out of the top 10 list of items collected in beach cleanups

The post Plastic straws appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Making better, healthier cup choices helps reduce the billions of disposable coffee cups that end up as landfill and litter.

How can you do it

Many people find being prepared is the key to making better cup choices. Keeping a reusable cup in your reusable kit, car, bag, or at your desk means it will always be within arms-reach if the coffee urge strikes. 

The best reusable cup is the one you already have. Grabbing a cup from home is a simple solution to disposable coffee cups. Popular choices include travel cups made of glass, ceramic and insulated stainless steel with sealable lids.

Cafés are choosing better cups as well. Many cafés are embracing cup exchange schemes or setting up informal ‘mug libraries’ where coffee lovers can borrow or swap a cup. 

People tell us that instead of having a coffee while on the run, they are sitting down at a café to enjoy their hot beverage from a ceramic cup or standing up, Italian-style, for their morning espresso. 

Taking the next steps

Consider encouraging family and friends by gifting a reusable cup that suits their lifestyle and personality. 

You may inspire community groups or workplaces by helping to create a mug library or researching nearby cafés that operate cup swap schemes.

Our Choose to Up Cup Resources Library provides free, editable posters and social media tiles for you to customise the Bring, Borrow, Stay message in your workplace or community organisation.

You may also like to encourage and support cafes to become part of the Responsible Cafes network.

The impact

• Many people find when they bring their own cup, it inspires family, friends and colleagues to bring their own cup too. 
• People tell us how much they appreciate the choice of either bringing their own cup, accessing a mug from a mug library or taking part in a swap scheme at their local cafe, enjoying greater well-being as a result. 
• Disposable coffee cups are not recyclable in most locations. Even well-intentioned ‘compostable’ coffee cups require very specific facilities and conditions and often end up in landfill.

The post Coffee cups appeared first on Plastic Free July.