July is around the corner, so we are issuing our first reminder of the up-coming Plastic-Free July challenge; this is how you can join!
South Africa (11 June 2020) – July is the month to challenge yourself, your friends and your family to go plastic-free or at least cut down on plastic use. The challenge was originally launched in Australia and is spreading globally.
When taking up the challenge, you don’t have to go full-blown plastic-free; any effort you can commit to, you should do. The challenge has three sets of plastic-free living.
- Avoiding single-use plastic packaging
- Avoiding takeaway items like straws, plastic cutlery, coffee cups, plastic bottled drinks and polystyrene containers.
- Go completely plastic-free
You decide if you would like to challenge yourself to one day, one week, one month or from now onwards. The community spans across 170 countries and more than 120 million people – and counting.
You can start preparing for July now, getting your family ready and educate yourself on alternatives. Many places now help you make easier choices, stores have plastic-free veg sections, takeaway apps allow you to opt-out of plastic utensils and most brands can be bought in glass versus plastic. If you really want to make it work, there are even grocery stores that are fully plastic-free now.
Here are some easy tips on how to give up plastics.
- Use material bags when grocery shopping, challenge yourself to avoid using or purchasing any plastic bags this month.
- Buy a reusable water bottle, glass and metal ones are the best. This way you always have nice chilled water, and you don’t have to buy plastic bottles.
- Refuse straws, instead, go without or purchase a bamboo, glass or metal one.
- Avoid using cling wrap, ziplock bags and other unrecyclable plastics.
- If you do use plastic, make sure it can be recycled. Then recycle it.
- Set up a recycling system at home, teach your family to follow it and place it in your bin in a clear bag for informal recyclers.
Will you be joining plastic-free July this year? If so, what are you giving up? You can find out more and sign up for the challenge here.
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