Plastic has made its way into our lives – and now into our bodies – under the guise of ‘convenience’. But is plastic a convenience worth paying for with our health?

Walk down the aisle of a supermarket and it’s near impossible to find something that’s not wrapped in plastic. It’s everywhere, but do we really know what it’s doing to us?

There are over 16,000 plastic associated chemicals (PACs) used in the production of plastic and the majority of these have not been studied in the context of human health. PACs have now shown to be linked to many conditions including cancer, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, fertility issues and autism.

The most comprehensive clinical trial on plastic exposure and human health is being undertaken right now in Perth, Western Australia. The trial is called The PERTH Trial (Plastic Exposure Reduction Transforms Health). This world-class team of researchers and clinicians are experts on plastics in the human body.

Here, three of the trial’s key figures – Prof Michaela Lucas, Dr Andrew Lucas and Dr Amelia Harray – answer 5 of your most common questions around everyday plastic usage.

What can I do right now to reduce plastic exposure for myself and my kids?

Q1: Is it safe to drink water from single use plastic bottles, or drink from juice boxes?

Answer: While the water at the source might be safe to drink it’s certainly not free of chemicals. Plastic associated chemicals (PACs) leach out of plastic packaging over time. After bottling in the factory, water can sit in plastic vessels for months or even years. Leaching rates increase with heating or prolonged environmental exposure (such as leaving a bottle of water in the car for months on end). By the time you drink it, the water quality may be compromised.

The same goes for juice boxes and tetra packs of any kind. They are all lined with plastics, usually come with a plastic straw, and contain an unknown number of PACs.

What should I do instead?

Use a water glass when you are at home or in the office. When on the go, or on site, choose a stainless-steel/metal or glass bottle and refill it from the tap. If you really love spring water or mineral water, then look for locally-bottled brands that are sold in glass bottles.

Q2: Can I drink from a single-use coffee cup? It says it’s made from plants!

Answer: Even paper cups lined with so-called plant-based material (like corn starch) contain PACs to hold the substance together. There is no legal requirement for this information to be listed on the packaging, and manufacturers may not even know which chemicals it contains. Previous research studies have shown that an average of 25,000 microplastic particles leach into hot water within 15 minutes (per 100 ml cup), making that quick cup of takeaway coffee a health risk.

What should I do instead?

Sit in-store and drink from a glass or ceramic cup, or byo ceramic mug, or stainless steel insulated cup (remove the plastic lid when you sip). Encourage your local café to start a mug library with second-hand ceramic mugs. If you forget your reusable, you can borrow a mug and bring it back clean the next time you visit.

Q3: Can I microwave my food and drinks in plastic containers? It says ‘microwave safe’!

Answer: Microwaving food is one of the most common ways to increases your plastic chemical exposure. As the plastic heats up it releases unknown amounts of chemical compounds into the food.

What should I do instead?

When heating food in the microwave use a ceramic or heat-proof glass container with a ceramic plate on top. If you need to store food in a plastic container in the fridge, line it with a paper towel or aluminium foil to create a barrier between your food and the plastic.

Q4: Can I buy polyester, nylon or acrylic clothes, bedding or toys? They’re so soft!

Answer: Synthetic fabrics like polyester are soft because of their uniform shape and structure created by chemical processes. Polyester, for example, is made of polyethene terephthalate.

Research has shown that we are inhaling microplastics throughout the day, via household dust from carpet, bedding, furnishings and clothing. Plastic particles that lodge in lung tissue cause physical damage that leads to inflammation and sets the scene for lung disease.

What should I do instead?

Fill your house and wardrobe with natural fibres such as cotton, wool, hemp and bamboo. Choose wooden toys instead of plastic ones, and soft toys that are covered in natural materials.

Q5: Can I cook with plastic utensils or mixing bowls and wash them in the dishwasher?

Answer: Black plastic-coated cooking utensils lose plastic at an alarming rate when used in cooking, due to the plastic literally melting into your food. Non-stick surfaces also contain harmful chemicals that leach over time. The reason non-stick pans eventually lose their ‘non-stickiness’ is because all that coating has vanished into your food!

What should I do instead?

Replace plastic cooking utensils (spatulas, spoons, mashers etc), mixing bowls and non-stick pans with non-plastic options like stainless steel. Don’t add plastic to the dishwasher, wash it by hand instead.

Read more about the PERTH trial here
Learn more about how to reduce reliance on plastic, and reduce plastic waste

The post The Plastic Convenience Con: plastic toxicity, exposure and human health appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Each year 11 million tons of plastics enter the ocean primarily from land-based sources. If we don’t work to curb plastics production, that amount will triple by 2060. At that point there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. There will be so many dreadful statistics in our future if we allow the plastics industry to conduct business as usual, and this is what drove me to start a new organization with the central mission to end plastic pollution everywhere. 

The great news is that we already have the tools we need to reduce plastic pollution and turn off the plastic tap. These tools are policies like single-use plastic bans (single-use bags, straws, polystyrene, etc.), Skip the Stuff laws, extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws to reduce packaging, and deposit return systems for beverage containers. We know that when done properly — and the devil is definitely in the details — these policies can move us toward eliminating the single-use plastics which make up 40% of all plastic waste. 

Cultivating grassroots

You may be thinking, “That’s great, but how do we get those policies passed?” That’s where the magic of the grassroots comes in and why at Beyond Plastics, we focus much of our time on cultivating grassroots groups and organizing actions at the local and state level. We know from social scientists that the tipping point — the point at which a new idea or way of doing things takes off — is when 25% of a population supports that idea. We can get to that 25%. With public will to take action on plastics reduction at an all-time high, the time to get involved is now. 

The majority of American voters (86%) are concerned about single-use plastics and support plastic reduction policies at the federal, state, and local levels. We can tap into that momentum by organizing people to educate policymakers and to demonstrate both the feasibility and efficacy of these policy solutions. A bottom-up approach is needed because we’ve seen time and again that a patchwork of local legislation prompts the need for state policy change and that state policies build the demand for changes at the federal level. 

New Jersey is one great example of this. This northeastern U.S. state had over 150 different local plastics reduction laws on the books that led to the adoption of a statewide law — the Plastic Trifecta. Some of the businesses we would’ve expected to oppose the legislation did not because they couldn’t deal with a patchwork quilt of different rules in different towns, cities, and counties — they wanted a single consistent state-level policy.

There are over 19,000 municipal governments in the U.S., which means that we need a lot of feet on the ground to support strong plastics reduction policies and block weak proposals that will waste vital time in solving the plastic pollution crisis. Each stage of plastic’s life cycle harms our environment, threatens our health, worsens environmental injustices, and speeds up the climate crisis. Plastic production has immensely negative impacts on people living near petrochemical facilities. (Here in the U.S., those facilities are located primarily in Texas, Louisiana, and Appalachia.) Recycling does not address the harms of extraction or production; and with less than 6% of plastics being recycled (along with the circulation of toxic chemicals and microplastics inherent in the process), we know that recycling is not an effective solution for plastics. We have to reduce.

Tsunami of Plastic/Eileen Ryan event, Tader Joes, Death by Plastic Performance 2022-07-20, Boston MA/South Station. 

Joining forces

This Plastic Free July, Beyond Plastics is supporting our local and affiliated groups across the United States in a campaign arc that culminates with a plastic take-back action under the theme “Plastic is Hazardous.” This phrase covers all of the negative impacts plastics have on people, wildlife, and the environment, and echoes the conclusions from “The Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health.” It also encompasses all the local and state policy solutions that our grassroots groups are advocating for. 

Groups across the country will gather signatures for a petition or sign-on letter supporting the local policy they’re advocating for; and on Thursday, July 20, they will deliver the petition or letter, along with loads of useless single-use plastic that they’ve accumulated to the appropriate public office, inviting media, the public and supportive legislators to take part in the event. Although we can only support non-profit organizations in the United States, Beyond Plastics is sharing our Plastic-Free July Action Guide so that others can use it to lead a similar event in their location. 

Working in community with other individuals and grassroots groups is vital to grow the movement to end plastic pollution. Plastics are ubiquitous in our daily lives. Although we can each make changes in our own homes to reduce our use of plastics, we must also look to larger-scale solutions to shift away from our single-use culture. Find the community groups near you to do what you can, where you are, with what you have. If there’s no group, consider starting your own! For those of you located in the United States, we’ve got loads of resources to help you do just that, including a free virtual grassroots organizing training that we offer every three months, plus tools, resources, and regular meetings to help nourish and guide our growing network of grassroots groups and affiliated organizations. You can learn more about this on our website. 

Effecting Change

By pulling the levers of government to establish regulations and incentives to move away from plastics, we will see an expansion of reusable systems and a reduction of single-use plastic. There are a growing number of companies using a mail-back refill model, and selling products packaged in paper or (gasp!) entirely unpackaged. New laws will send a clear signal to businesses and investors that there is a growing demand for refillable/reusable products and a need to invest in the infrastructure required to scale up reuse and refill systems. 

The issue of plastics reduction can feel overwhelming, but when you connect with others in your community, you will be surprised by what you can tackle. It just takes a few motivated people working together to make big changes. 

Judith Enck founded Beyond Plastics in 2019 after being appointed by President Obama and serving as the regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for New York, New Jersey, eight Indian nations, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. She is a faculty member at Bennington College in Vermont.

The post To Turn Off the Plastics Tap, We Must Grow the Grassroots Movement appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Going plastic free, why small steps matter for your health

I invite you to consider that, as well as being a planetary health disaster, plastic substances may also be entering your body and be a health hazard to you and your family.

It’s an uncomfortable truth. Virtually all plastic products contain a range of chemical additives that can leach out and enter food, drink, dust and air around us. Some of the smallest and most volatile chemicals can be absorbed through our skin or inhaled. 

Many of these chemicals are known to be toxic, even at low levels. Babies in the womb and young children are at particularly high risk of plastic-related health effects from everyday use.

We know that early development is sensitive to hazardous chemicals. Children have unique exposure because they breathe more rapidly, are closer to accumulated chemicals in household dust and soil, and often put things in their mouths, including toys. 

Plastic-associated chemical exposures are linked to increased risks of low birth weight, changes in genital development and appearance, neurodevelopmental impairment, respiratory illness (asthma and bronchitis) in children and premature puberty in girls. Early-life exposures are also associated with obesity and increased blood pressure in children.

Studies have also shown that exposure to some plastic chemicals is linked to poorer sperm health for men, and increased risk of miscarriage, endometriosis, and polycystic ovary syndrome for women. Adult exposure is also associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers (including breast cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma).

Community health impacts

As well as being exposed to chemicals during everyday use of plastics, communities nearby to oil and gas developments, chemical refineries and plastic production factories are exposed to hazardous chemical pollutants released from these facilities into air, water, and soil. And we are all impacted by the carbon emissions from the use of fossil fuels to general plastics.

For example, compounds used or produced in oil and gas extraction by drilling and fracking—such as benzene, butadiene, and formaldehyde—are known to cause leukaemia and lymphoma at all ages, including children. Exposure to these during pregnancy and in early childhood is especially dangerous.

Daily choices to protect human health

As consumers, we can consider the true cost of our daily interactions with plastic. We can be curious and ask questions about where the plastic comes from, what is in it and where it goes.

Daily choices, such as shopping bags and coffee cups are easy swaps. We can bring our own natural cloth materials bags and stainless steel or glass cups. There are so many ways we can use less plastic, especially single-use items that quickly become waste.

Parents and carers with children or people planning to have children should be particularly aware of the plastic they use. This includes toys, synthetic clothing with plastic decorations, and any plastics a child might be exposed to. Many countries have banned toxic chemicals in toys, but countries regulate chemicals differently, and product labelling might not be sufficient to help us choose safer options.

The safest option is to ‘choose to refuse’ and reduce plastic use wherever you can. Small decisions can have a big impact in the years to come, and little things matter.

More information

A detailed report on the health and ocean impacts of plastics, was published in the Annals of Global Health, in March 2023. Authors comprised several experts from the Minderoo Foundation along with more than 40 other international experts.

A summary of health impacts is presented in the article Buy-now-pay-later: Hazards to human and planetary health from plastics production, use and waste, published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health.

The post Going plastic free, why small steps matter for your health appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Professor Sarah Dunlop, Head, Plastics and Human Health from the Minderoo Foundation says the links between plastic and detrimental effects on human health are increasingly clear, and projected growth in plastic production brings ever greater urgency to this issue. 

Pollution at every stage of plastic

Last month, the Minderoo Foundation in collaboration with world-leading researchers* published an analysis of the multiple hazards that plastic poses to human health and the ocean in the Annals of Global Health. The study also revealed the staggering economic costs of these negative impacts from the extraction of fossil carbon feedstocks through to the chemicals that leach from everyday use and disposal of plastics.

One of the study’s key conclusions addresses the hazardous chemicals used in plastic production. There’s now growing awareness that during use and in disposal, plastics release bisphenol A, phthalates, PFAS and other harmful chemicals, mostly unlabelled.

Around a quarter of the over 10,000 unique chemicals used in plastics are of either high or medium concern to human health and safety. Nearly 40% lack hazard classification and therefore the level of concern is unknown.

How does plastic affect humans?

Exposures to pregnant women, young children and unborn babies are particularly dangerous because these chemicals can disrupt hormones responsible for healthy development. For children, the health consequences linked to plastic chemicals include reduced IQ and respiratory diseases, and for adults – obesity, cancer and decreased fertility in both men and women. Studies have reported that women are more likely to experience reproductive disorders including endometriosis when exposed to such chemicals.

Apart from chemical exposure from everyday plastics, there’s health hazards associated with air and water pollution resulting from plastic manufacturing, beginning with coal, oil, and gas extraction (the source of 98% plastic is fossil carbon). At disposal, the burning of plastic releases toxic gases and metals that are carcinogenic. The polluted ash can leach into the soil and contaminate groundwater.

A clean, healthy, and sustainable environment has been declared a human right, and yet plastic production workers and communities neighbouring plastic production and waste disposal sites are living with hazardous air pollution and contaminated water sources. Plastic production workers are at increased risk of leukemia, lymphoma, brain cancer and breast cancer. Children in these communities have higher incidences of leukemia.

Plastic production results in particulate matter air pollution, which increases risks for cardiovascular disease, stroke, lung cancer and diabetes in adults. In infants and children, it increases risks for premature birth and low birthweight, which are risk factors for chronic diseases later in life. There are also higher risks of stillbirth, impaired lung development and asthma from this type of air pollution.  

While in the last decade there’s been a significant uptick in research into plastic pollution and environmental microplastics, scientists acknowledge the need for improved technology and techniques to detect the very small (micro and nano) plastic particles in human tissue. 

Plastic toxins—What can we do?

Taking small steps toward plastic-free living are all important when it comes to protecting our health, recognising human rights, and conserving our planet.

To minimise your exposure to harmful plastic chemicals, you can store your food and beverages in non-plastic containers and avoid heating food in plastic. Be aware that fast food served at high temperatures in plastic packaging enables chemicals to migrate into the food. Also, avoid using plastic cups for hot drinks and discard plastic kitchen utensils.

Even though it is difficult to avoid plastic altogether, there are safer options for kitchen products. Glass, stainless steel, bamboo, and wood can be healthier alternative materials for food storage and preparation.

To protect babies and children, choose baby clothing made with natural fibres, and avoid PVC plastic toys or cups. Be careful to avoid PVC (vinyl) ‘wipe clean’ bibs. The plastic images embossed onto babies and children’s clothes can also contain chemicals which leach out.

By choosing reusable products and refusing single-use plastic options we can reduce our impacts.

You can also ask your government representative to review this study for the latest science on the health impacts of plastic, to update chemical regulations and ensure plastics policies are not exporting the problem and contributing to social injustices.

While each of us can embrace changes to our behaviour, our governments should fast-track bans on unnecessary single-use plastics, and work to reduce the complexity and toxicity of plastic.  Plastic producer responsibility towards safer and more sustainable operations and products, all the way up and down the value chain, is also vital to a healthier future.

*The Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health is a collaboration by 48 international expert authors from multiple institutions world-wide. The study was coordinated by the Global Observatory on Planet Health at Boston College, the Centre Scientifique de Monaco’s Medical and Marine Biology departments, and the Plastics and Human Health team at Minderoo Foundation. It presents a detailed analysis of plastics’ impacts across their life cycle on human health, the global environment, the economy, and vulnerable populations.

The post Plastic is a health hazard – our choices can prevent harm appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Professor Sarah Dunlop, neuroscientist and Head of Plastics and Human Health at Minderoo Foundation shares how she reduces her exposure to plastic and the harmful chemicals it can contain.

More than meets the eye

The recent findings of microplastics in blood and lungs are not surprising, but there’s much more to learn and share about plastic as a health issue.  

Over the last decade there has been a growing awareness of the extent of plastic pollution, its devastating impacts on animals and the environment, as well as the challenges in collection and recycling. Now, there’s increasing concern about the potential human health impacts of plastic, from certain chemical additives as well as the tiny microplastics particles that have recently been found in the human body.

My colleagues, led by Dr Christos Symeonides at Minderoo Foundation, recently published a review article ‘Buy-now-pay-later: Hazards to human and planetary health from plastics production, use and waste’ in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health on this issue. Plastics contain thousands of chemicals and many of them have not been tested for safety to people. This also means that in most places, government regulations do not to protect us from these chemicals.

There is significant evidence, from human studies, that exposures to two types of chemicals found in plastics — phthalates and bisphenols — can affect health, especially if the exposure occurs during pregnancy or in early childhood.

However, we don’t yet have a strong understanding of the effects of micro- and nanoplastic particles in our bodies, which is why we partnered with The University of Queensland to build the Minderoo Centre – Plastics and Human Health research centre. The science of measuring these virus-sized particles requires highly specialised equipment and experts, such as Professor Kevin Thomas and his team. 

What can we do?

Our scientific studies, and those of our international peers, have convinced us all to avoid food and drink contact with plastic where possible, especially when they are heated.

Other ways we can reduce risks of chemical exposure, are to start with simple things — avoiding cooking or warming food in plastic, and not putting plastic in the dishwasher. We could eat fewer packaged foods or processed foods and use glass containers for food instead. 

As well as avoiding plastic products, other things I do to decrease exposure to harmful plastic-associated chemicals in my home, include:

• regular vacuuming and dusting
• not using personal care products that contain plastic microbeads
• avoiding cosmetics listing the ingredient ‘fragrance’, which often use phthalates as a solvent or stabiliser
• using stainless steel or ceramic coffee cups. 

Children and young people

Young children have additional exposure through oral exploratory behaviour and incidental ingestion, including chewing their toys and from chemicals in household dust and soil.”

As a paediatrician, Christos also encourages alternative materials for baby’s toys – that are likely to go in their mouth.

It’s safer to choose ones made of wood (without toxic paint), natural latex or food grade silicone. Look for the EU safety mark for children’s toys. Since 1999, all commonly used phthalate plasticisers were banned in toys made in Europe.

Our mission

What is important to me, and the plastics team at Minderoo Foundation, is to uncover the truth and help people make informed decisions.

We are all keen to share the scientific findings and concerns we have about the harmful chemicals that can be in plastic, and to understand more about what plastic particles are doing in our bodies.

Minderoo Foundation is also collaborating with other world-leading scientists, clinicians, legal, regulatory and communication experts as well as government departments, intergovernmental organisations and NGOs. This includes partnerships with the University of Western Australia, Imperial College London, Common Seas, Food Packaging Forum, International Society for Children’s Health and the Environment (ISCHE), The Florey Institute, and Environmental Health News. 

Together, we are aiming to inform people and governments so we can protect the next generation from disorders and disease that we know are on the rise and, which cannot be fully explained by other lifestyle or genetic factors. 

On behalf of the Minderoo Foundation team, we wish you well this July and beyond. Your commitment to using less plastic will be better for your health and better for our planet. Working together, we can turn the tide!

Find out more about plastics and health on the Minderoo Foundation website.

A @MinderooFoundation partnership for #health information.

Photo caption: Professor Sarah Dunlop, Head of Plastics and Human Health Minderoo Foundation and Professor Kevin Thomas, Research Director outside the Minderoo Centre – Plastics and Human Health research facility at University of Queensland, Australia.

The post Expert top tips – why reducing plastic is better for your health appeared first on Plastic Free July.

However, when we stop to look a little more closely at hosting a celebration, there’s often a lot of single-use plastic involved. Entertaining can be very wasteful with items used for just the event and then thrown away. 

To help make celebrations more sustainable, we need to consider both the waste generated and the impact of producing so many disposable items. For example, to produce just 1kg of gift wrap creates more than 3kg of CO2 emissions. That’s the same amount of CO2 as generated by boiling an electric kettle 200 times. This means, for a greener party we need to swap single-use items for reusables and try to avoid unnecessary plastic. 

Here’s some ways to host a more eco-friendly holiday event without spoiling any of the fun… 

Tableware

Hosting a party has often meant grabbing a pack of paper plates and plastic cups. Readily available in supermarkets and an appealing way to avoid the washing up, disposables may seem like the easy option. However, they generate a lot of waste after a very short use. Each year, in England alone, an estimated 1.1 billion single-use plates and 4.25 billion items of single-use cutlery are used. Most disposable tableware is wholly, or in part, made of plastic and very little is recycled. 

In the fight against plastic pollution, many governments are introducing new legislation banning single-use plastic plates, cups and cutlery. The EU introduced a ban on plastic tableware in July 2021 and many other countries are set to follow. So what are the alternatives? 

• Use what you have – Ditching the disposables and switching to reusable tableware is the most obvious sustainable solution. If you don’t have enough plates, consider borrowing from a neighbour or even asking guests to bring their own plate.
  
• Hire a party kit – There’s a growing community of people who lend reusable tableware for celebrations. Party kits contain reusable tableware which can be borrowed for the event and then returned to be used again. Some also offer decorations, table linen and even a washing up service. Find your local party kit.
• Plastic-free alternatives – If switching to reusables really isn’t an option for your event then look for single-use tableware which is plastic free. For example, plates made from palm leaves and cutlery made from wood can both be composted at home after the party. Try to avoid disposable items made from bioplastic (PLA) or those which can only be composted in industrial composters – these are often not as green or practical as the marketing messaging might make you think. 

Food 

Food is core to any festive season celebration. After all, is a party really a party without cake?! However, party food can generate a lot of waste. This comes from both the packaging and the food itself. 

In the UK, 10 million festive turkeys are purchased each year generating 3,000 tonnes of packaging waste, most of which is single-use plastic. An estimated 2 million of those turkeys will go uneaten generating a shocking amount of food waste. 

With a bit of planning it’s possible to significantly cut unnecessary waste…

• Create a food plan – It can be easy to end up with more food than really needed for a party but with a bit of planning you can reduce the likelihood of any leftovers. Be realistic about how much guests might eat, especially if your party isn’t being held at a normal mealtime, and try to avoid last minute panic buying.
  
• Make your own – One of the easiest ways to avoid unnecessary plastic food packaging is to make your own dishes rather than purchasing readymade food. To ease the load, ask family and friends to help or consider hosting a ‘potluck’ party where each guest brings a dish of food to be shared.
  
• Plan for leftovers – Even the most experienced host can misjudge quantities so planning ahead for any leftover food will help reduce waste. Ask guests to bring along reusable containers to the party to take home any leftovers. Freeze what you can – even cake can be frozen! And ahead of the party, research local organisations, such as food banks or community fridges, who will accept donations of excess food. 

Decorations

Whether you’re putting up a Christmas tree, creating a festive table or decorating an entire house, there are many ways to make decorations a little more eco-friendly without spoiling the holiday fun. 

• Go natural – For table centrepieces or around the home use natural foliage, such as twigs, pine cones and holly. All these are plastic free, reusable and can be composted once used.
  
• Edible tree decorations – As an alternative to plastic-wrapped edible tree decorations such as candy canes, try hanging foil-wrapped chocolate or using small fabric stockings or bags filled with treats.
  
• Bunting isn’t just for birthdays – Festive bunting makes a great decoration which can be used year after year. You may be able to hire bunting locally or make your own from scrap material or old Christmas cards.
  
• Give crackers a green makeover – Whether it’s a tiny magnifying glass or yet another packet of mini playcards, many of the trinkets in store-bought crackers are pretty useless and often plastic. Instead, fill your own crackers with things guests may actually use. Make crackers from paper or fabric, or fill a small bag with a couple of items guests might actually enjoy. Switching to reusable party crowns is another win for reducing waste.
  
• Pick quality over quantity – With many sustainable choices, often buying less is the best way to reduce our waste footprint. If you do want to add to your collection of decorations, look for secondhand items first or choose items which are durable and will last year after year, such as decorations made from felt. 

Gift Wrap 

Gift wrap is another area where a few swaps can help make celebrating a little more sustainable. 

Most traditional gift wrap is single-use and can contain hidden plastic. Metallic or glitter wrapping paper are both offenders. So if you’re passionate about reducing plastic waste, try to avoid these. 

Gift wrap is used for such a short amount of time before being discarded. In the UK, the equivalent of 108 million rolls of wrapping paper are thrown away each festive period – that’s enough paper to wrap around the planet 22 times.

Reduce waste with one of these wrapping paper alternatives… 

• Wrap with fabric squares or scarves – Either fold the fabric around the gift (as you would with paper) and tie with ribbon or knot the fabric using the Japanese art of Furoshiki.
  
• Use fabric bags – Perfect for those tricky to wrap gifts. Consider using a fabric bag, specially designed reusable fabric gift wrap or even a pillowcase for a quick and easy way to wrap presents.
  
• Reuse gift wrap or packing paper – If you’re very careful it is possible to reuse gift wrap. The recycled packing paper, which often comes with online orders, is good for wrapping (and free!). It can be decorated with ink stamps or tied with festive ribbon and still recycled after. Swap plastic sticky tape for string, ribbon or paper tape. 

Guest post by Isabel Mack, the founder of the Party Kit Network. This non-profit organisation connects those planning a party with local party kits of reusable tableware. Started in the UK in 2019, there are now hundreds of party kits run by people from across the globe. Together network members help their communities avoid thousands of single-use plastic items. 

The post How to host a plastic free festive party  appeared first on Plastic Free July.

If you don’t know where to even begin when embarking on a month without plastic, start by cutting the “Top Four” single-use plastic items—widespread types of plastics that have quite simple and painless solutions.

1. Plastic bags
2. Water bottles
3. Takeaway coffee cups
4. Plastic straws

Why start?

If you’ve found yourself on the Plastic Free July website, you likely already know about the horrors of plastic pollution so I don’t need to expand on those here. The industries that produce the plastic have also promoted recycling as the ideal—and really the only—solution to the plastic pollution which they created. This push to recycle more shifts the responsibility—and cost—of cleanup onto consumers and municipalities that played no role in producing the waste. It also diverts attention away from the true source of the problem—production (that and psychotic greed). Corporations produce more plastic than our waste management systems can possibly absorb. (Read more about recycling here and here.)

While regulation of industry will lead to the kinds of sweeping reductions necessary to address the plastic pollution crisis, we need individual actions as well. Pressure from individuals at the bottom effects change at the top.

As you start: Do not feel guilty about a supply chain that you did not create

Our economic system revolves around the extraction, refining and burning of fossil fuels and their transformation into materials such as plastic. Because we will continue to decarbonize our society, Big Oil faces a challenge finding a market for a product with dwindling appeal. To continue profiting from fossil fuels, it has big plans to produce even bigger amounts of plastic.

More plastic production is hard to fathom. Already, for example, vast amounts of single-use plastic make their way onto grocery store shelves in the form of food packaging. The modern supermarket would look much different—and likely much smaller—without plastic to package the myriad shelf-stable, highly processed convenience foods. These foods enable the on-the-go lifestyles demanded by a system bent on productivity and growth at all costs, including the health of our planet, its life-support systems and all inhabitants.

In other words, our plastic-dependent, industrialized food system makes drastically reducing plastic difficult—but not impossible. Like the term “zero waste,” the term “plastic free” merely represents a goal. Although we may never reach the “zero” in zero waste or the “free” in plastic free, we can achieve the goal of Plastic Free July—to consume less single-use plastic.

Start with the Top Four Single-Use Plastics

You’ll find swapping these top four single-use plastic items for plastic-free alternatives quite painless.

1. Plastic bags

In the US, people use 14,000,000,000 single-use plastic bags per year. Some stores get around plastic bag bans by offering very thick plastic bags, claiming that people will use them more than once. But handing out more plastic bags negates the intention of plastic bag bans—to encourage shoppers to bring their reusable bags to the store.

Buy or make some simple cloth produce bags

If we can adjust to taking our cloth shopping bags to the grocery store—and millions and millions have—we can adjust to using cloth produce bags as well.

You can buy cloth produce bags at health food co-ops, eco-friendly shops and online. You can also sew very simple produce bags if you prefer. Stash your produce bags in your shopping bags. Store the bags within bags near the front door, in your car or anywhere else that will help you remember to take them with you when you go shopping. Just as you wouldn’t leave home without your keys, you won’t leave home without your reusable bags.

2. Water bottles

In the US, we consume 1,500 plastic water bottles every second for something that most of us can get free from our taps. Keep your money in your bank account and out of the coffers of corporations like Nestlé, which, during our current extreme drought in California, continues to steal millions of gallons of our water to sell in single-use plastic bottles. 

Of course, you can’t drink unsafe water. But clever marketing, not actual need, motivates millions and millions of Americans to buy bottled water. And according to Food & Water Watch, 64 percent of bottled water is merely filtered municipal tap water. Not only that, bottled water may contain up to twice as many microplastics as tap water. (Microplastics are small pieces of plastic up to five millimeters in length.)

To avoid buying bottled water, carry a reusable water bottle or mason jar with you wherever you go. If you prefer to drink and cook with filtered water, install a water filtration system in your home.

3. Takeaway coffee cups

Thin plastic lines the inside of paper to-go cups in order to prevent coffee and tea from leaking all over the place. Again, a mason jar works wonders. To prevent burning your hand, wrap a few rubber bands around the jar or sew a cloth sleeve for it out of scrap fabric or a worn-out sock. Or bring a ceramic mug with you to your café. 

If, like many people, you have many mugs, keep one packed in your zero-waste kit, one in your car, one at the office (if your office doesn’t have real mugs, in which case, consider working on changing that) and so on. If you need to buy mugs, your thrift shop may have a large shelf full of them.

The café I frequented for seven years has never offered ceramic, for-here cups and suspended its bring-your-own-cup program during Covid. I haven’t been for over a year. When I called recently to ask if I could now bring in my own cup, I learned that the BYOC program will not likely return. Disappointed, I stumbled upon a different café that serves hot drinks in ceramic cups and brews possibly the best pu-erh tea I’ve ever tasted (this café adds cacao nibs). So I now treat myself to that occasionally and mostly drink tea I brew myself at home (which saves a small fortune).

4. It’s not just a straw

Anti anti-plastic people like to claim that eliminating straws won’t make a difference. However, even the lowest estimate of just over 170,000,000 plastic straws used per day in the US is excessive. And besides, people who start their plastic reduction by refusing plastic straws won’t likely stop there. No doubt they will become more aware of plastic pollution and more active in addressing the problem. Straws, like each of these Top Four plastic items, are a gateway to reducing more plastic.

Of course, no one advocates the taking away of straws from anyone with disabilities who needs them. But for those of us who can drink without a straw, we can either lift the glass to our lips or buy reusable metal or glass straws. I don’t need or want these myself but I know that many people love theirs.

Starting down the plastic-free path is hard. You can’t change your routine overnight and sometimes, just when you get your routine down, new obstacles will pop up (hello, Covid). But the point is to use less plastic. Do that and you’ll succeed this Plastic Free July.

Short bio

Anne-Marie Bonneau writes the blog Zero-Waste Chef. She has lived plastic-free since 2011 and shows others how reducing their trash not only benefits the planet but also satisfies their taste buds, improves their well-being, and boosts their bank accounts. Her cookbook, The Zero-Waste Chef: Plant-Forward Recipes for a Sustainable Kitchen and Planet, is now out. Learn more from Anne-Marie in Plastic Free July Cook A Long.

The post Top 4 Plastics to Avoid – by the Zero-Waste Chef appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Usually, when you buy a plant from a nursery, it comes in a single-use plastic pot that gets discarded right after. While a few of them can be kept for potting on seedlings, people often find others in their community such as market stalls that are happy to receive donated pots for reuse. Many people look for nurseries where they take pots back for recycling to buy their plants or your local recycling facilities which can take new taupe coloured pots for recycling.

Here are some ideas to reduce plastic waste in the garden:

• Pick non-plastic growing containers. Do you grow your plants in a container? If yes, stop buying new plastic pots and look for second hand or consider buying terracotta, ceramic, wood, or metal. You can even use metal tubs or oak barrels for this purpose. Other ideas include using repurposed items such as eskies or coolers or even used olive oil tins that have been discarded.
• Choose plastic free (and second hand) tools and gear. When you must choose between metal/wood tools and fragile plastic tools, consider more durable materials such as metal or wood tools, that are unlikely to wear out in a few months.
• Share tools used less frequently. One smart way to cut down plastic in gardening is to start sharing tools with your neighbours or garden-group members. Some communities find a tool sharing point from where any of the members can borrow whatever tools they need and return while others have informal arrangements with their neighbours. This will reduce the purchasing of plastic, and in fact, tools in general.
• Use plastic-free weed barriers. Try not to use plastic sheeting because it suppresses the weeds, keeps the moisture away from plants, and can percolate chemicals into the soil. Consider using cardboard or paper covered with mulch. Another option is reused burlap sacks from organic coffee roasters, which are biodegradable and provide nutrition to the soil as well.
• Get creative with row and plant markers. Instead of using plastic markers, make a difference with creative DIY markers such as clay or hand-painted rocks, or use sturdy sticks or reused shims, pieces of broken terracotta pots, popsicle sticks, or inexpensive spoons.
• Choose non-plastic seed packets. Fortunately, most of the seeds come in paper packets, so it is not difficult to cut down plastic usage in this manner. Consider swapping with your neighbours and friends.         
• Get plastic-free raised beds. Avoid using plastic in your raised beds and rather go for high-quality cedar raised beds, which not only adds beauty but also makes it function well. You can also make your own raised bed with hardwood, corrugated iron or purchase second hand.
• Composting. Composting is a great way to reduce waste and add nutrients to the soil, thus avoiding buying compost in plastic bags. All materials should be either carbon (dried leaves, twigs, paper) or nitrogen-based (food scraps, lawn clippings, manure). It is very essential to maintain a balance between these two elements in a compost pile. The best ratio for a healthy compost pile is more carbon to nitrogen, about 2/3 to 1/3.
• Homemade fertiliser. Fertilisers are something I have enjoyed making and have found them to be very effective. Usually, the three things that you need to make fertilizer are poultry manure, grass clipping, and water. Poultry manure, grass clippings, or dry organic fertiliser can provide a vast range of nutrients. These homemade fertilisers can also be made by mixing and matching different materials of your own choice.   
• Using newspaper pots. Self-made newspaper pots are so beneficial because the transplant shock gets lessened when your seeds are ready to transplant outdoors. You just need to make sure that the bottoms of the newspaper pots have drainage holes. Dig your planting hole and put the seedling, pot and all, straight into the whole with some water. The newspaper degrades into the soil as the seedling grows to provide instant mulch and fertilizer to the plant.

What to do with plastic pots you may already have? The ultimate fate of the black plastic pots is dumping them into garbage but before dumping you can use them for various purposes like propping up small containers, for shaking and dispersing fertilizer, mulch protection, scooping the soil, or instant frost protection. They can also be used as durable lightweight fillers or as liners for containers with no drainage.

Plastic waste has been a growing problem in the past decades. From disposable utensils to supermarket bags, all plastic-based materials go to waste eventually. Unlike other waste and the natural chemistry of plastic, it becomes an arduous task to dispose of it. Gardening; however, is not unblemished from the use of plastics. With the given problem at hand, gardening can have a suitable replacement to minimise the use of plastic.

The thought of plastic-free gardening seems a little bizarre but it is not that big of a deal. You just need to swap some things and you will be able to enjoy a plastic-free gardening experience. This way you will get to feel satisfaction in two ways, cultivating a healthy garden and the knowledge that you have made a difference to a world without plastic waste.

Tips courtesy of Tristan Kavanagh from Sydney Gardeners, he is passionate about sustainability and the environment. His passion has grown from his experience working in nature. You can view more of his works here.

The post Reducing plastic in the garden appeared first on Plastic Free July.