Remaining Updated on October 10, 2023
It’s July, and do you have to’re into eco-friendly residing, you acknowledge what which implies… it’s time for Plastic Free July! To rejoice, I believed I’d spherical up just some easy swaps.
Plastic Free July started in Australia in 2011. The intention of a no plastic July is to stay away from disposable merchandise, significantly single use plastics, in your full month. I’m sharing my favorite Plastic Free July ideas along with my most attention-grabbing ideas for Plastic Free July. Many uncover that with these swaps, going plastic free for one month turns into future lowered plastic utilization — which has an infinite have an effect on on the planet!
Quite a few of the hyperlinks beneath are affiliate hyperlinks for additional information please see my disclosure security.
Plastic Free July
Plastic Free July is supposed to be an issue. You’ll resolve one disposable to stay away from like single-use plastic straws, in any other case you might attempt to stay away from the monumental 4 which may very well be grocery baggage, plastic straws, to-go espresso cups, and plastic water bottles. The truth is, you might go all in and stay away from ALL single-use plastics for the ENTIRE month of July to just be sure you a precise draw back.
Due to it’s solely a month prolonged dedication, chances are you’ll get your toes moist and see if it’s one situation you’d ought to pursue future.Â
The reality is, many ‘full-time’ zero wasters started by collaborating in Plastic Free July! The approach to life made lots sense that they decided to take care of up at it!
Within the occasion you start reducing your trash and publicity to single-use plastics, you might uncover it’s easier than you depend on!
I was hooked attributable to it improved my complete efficiently being and appropriately being, my pores and pores and pores and pores and skin, helped me get financial financial monetary financial savings, and further!
This publish begins out with just some straightforward swaps like water bottles and toothbrushes, nonetheless evolves into some swaps you will not have heard about! And, the final phrase swap is MY FAVORITE — a gift that retains on giving — so be sure to check it out!
With out extra ado, listed beneath are my excessive 10 EASY swaps you may also make for going plastic free this July.
plastic free july ideas
1. reusable water bottles:
Day-after-day in america, 50 million plastic bottles are landfilled. Give consideration to fairly a couple of waste!
It’s doable chances are you’ll be questioning why we’re landfilling these bottles as a substitute of recycling them.
Recycling is nice and place to start out out out out (we’ll cowl it afterward inside the issue), nonetheless it isn’t the reply.
Have you ever ever learnt plastic solely has a 9 p.c recycle worth? That’s about to drop even lower attributable to China has put a ban on plastic imports from the U.S. for recycling.
The first of my 10 ideas for Plastic Free July is to simply ship your private water bottle. The LARQ Bottle is SO cool!
It’s a self-cleaning water bottle that purifies the water inside a lightweight single-walled stainless-steel bottle.
LARQ makes use of UV-C LED mild to take away as reasonably quite a bit as 99.9999% of E.coli out of your water and bottle.
Earlier that, 1% of every LARQ Bottle purchase helps to clean up our oceans via a partnership with Plastic Monetary establishment. They’ve a function to remove 1 million single-use plastic bottles from the ocean.
RELATED:Â Solutions on how one can Filter Water With out Plastic
2. reusable espresso cups:
From Starbucks alone, we threw away 4 billion espresso cups in 2017. That’s insane.
Plenty of the paper cups you receive at espresso retailers are actually lined with plastic, which suggests they’re NOT recyclable in most suppliers in america.
So, most espresso cups merely wind up all via the landfill.
Fortuitously, there are a bunch of decisions by means of avoiding these single-use plastics.
You’ll ship your private thermos to the espresso retailer, ask for a mug to stay, and even use a mason jar. And, you don’t must get a elaborate new mason jar — you might upcycle an earlier one from pasta sauce or salsa.
Seize my ideas for the Greatest and Quickest Approach to Take away Labels from Jars.
3. tea:
On the lookout for one situation delicious to position into your reusable thermos? Do it’s essential to’re a tea lover like me, then it should shock you to be taught most tea baggage are constituted of plastic.
A new check out found that the luggage can launch BILLIONS of plastic particles into your cup. Yum…
Among the many many many largest strategies to stay away from your tea being steeped with a side of polypropylene is to simply sip unfastened leaf tea!
The California Tea Dwelling started at a neighborhood California farmer’s market the place their small batch blends turned so well-liked they opened up an web web site.
They’ve the most important variety of USDA Licensed Pure tea blends all through the usand are utterly plastic free. They use recycled packaging and biodegradable peanuts for all of their shipments, so that you simply in all probability can start sipping some unfastened leaf goodness.
Actually one amongst their hottest blends is the Lime all via the Coconut, and I take into accout my Dad driving me crazy by having fulfilling with that observe on repeat all by the use of my twelfth birthday.
Should you want to give quite a few of The California Tea Dwelling‘s unfastened leaf teas a try, chances are you’ll get 15% off plus free present with the code GOINGZERO15.
RELATED: 6 Sustainable Unfastened Leaf Tea Producers
4. reusable straws:
Have you ever ever learnt all via the U.S. alone, over 500 million straws are used every single day? That’s a median of 1.6 straws per categorical particular specific individual!
Plastic straws are primarily unattainable to recycle attributable to virtually no curbside program accepts them. They’re simply too small and can clog devices.
Whenever you might have the power to merely stay away from a straw for water or tea, many summery drinks are made WAY elevated with a straw. So a useful, moveable, reusable straw is a painless resolution to kick off your No Plastic July.
Tropical smoothies, blended drinks, milkshakes, and thought of one amongst my private favorites — boba tea!
Web Zero Co makes great cute reusable straws that hook up alongside together with your key ring.
Their straws are constituted of stainless-steel and meals grade silicone, so that you simply simply don’t have to worry about clanking your enamel — significantly do you have to’re having pleasurable alongside alongside together with your drink whereas strolling.
Their signature design telescopes so that you’d probably merely regulate the size of the straw, and it comes with a cleaner.
All of Web Zero Co‘s merchandise are shipped in plastic-free packaging, nonetheless the only half is that every order crops a tree in partnership with Eden Reforestation Duties which fights poverty and reverses deforestation!
With the code ‘GZW10‘ chances are you’ll get 10% off your complete order at Web Zero Co.
RELATED: Take the cheeky quizÂ
which reusable straw is largest for you?
5. swap your toothbrush:
Have you ever ever learnt every toothbrush ever created stays to be in existence?
Within the occasion you finish collectively alongside alongside together with your current toothbrush, why not change to a bamboo one?
A bamboo toothbrush can be composted so that you simply simply don’t have to worry about your earlier brush sticking spherical for all eternity.
There are tons of various bamboo toothbrush firms which have popped up — and few are even offered in monumental retailers like Purpose and Walgreens — nonetheless my favorite is Brush with Bamboo.
RELATED: Zero Waste Toothpowder + Brush with Bamboo
6. plastic-free floss:
Whereas we’re having a look at your oral care habits, have you ever ever ever thought-about floss?
Frequent floss is normally plastic. Earlier merely being plastic, it’s toxic. It’s coated with PFC’s which is a chemical that’s current in teflon. Yikes.
As a substitute, why not floss with a USDA Licensed Bio-Primarily based utterly product that’s utterly refillable? Effectively, you’re in luck attributable to Flosspot sells merely that.
Flosspot makes eco-friendly dental floss from every silk and corn do you have to’re vegan.
Their floss is obtainable in a fairly glass containers and stainless-steel (merely in case you’re clumsy like me), and you should purchase plastic-free refills to insert repeatedly.
7. reusable cotton swabs:
Do you are taking into accout the picture of the sea horse holding onto a cotton swab that went viral in 2017?
That’s attributable to most cotton swabs at this time are made with… you guessed it — plastic! Yep, these pesky single use items appeared pretty unattainable to interchange until now.
LastSwab is designed to interchange Q-tips, which may very well be thought-about one in all many vital frequent ocean air air air pollution.
LastSwab is the first sanitary, reusable fairly a couple of to the 1.5 billion single-use Q-tips produced day-to-day. Constructed to final so long as 1,000 makes use of, LastSwab is obtainable in two variations — the important for cleaning and the marvel for make-up utility.
Do it’s essential to’re involved about trying LastSwab, chances are you’ll get 10% off for the month of July with the code ‘GoingZeroWastePFJ‘!
8. change to bar cleansing cleaning cleansing cleaning soap:
I’m incessantly amazed by what variety of plastic-free swaps you may also make all via the bathroom. For a tiny room, it would actually undoubtedly pack a wasteful punch.
One straightforward resolution to stay away from any extra plastic bottles is to change to waterless merchandise.
The first ingredient you pay for in elements like cleaning and sweetness merchandise is water! And, why pay for water (and to have water shipped all by the use of the nation) everytime you might merely add water at residence?
The Zero Waste Retailer provides quite a few of the best shampoo & conditioner bars in the marketplace accessible within the market! With larger than 1,000 5 star opinions, you is maybe cozy with inserting your hair in good arms.
Their shampoo bars are vegan, cruelty-free, palm oil free, plastic-free, and utterly zero waste — making this a Plastic Free July no-brainier.
It’s doable chances are you’ll get 10% off at The Zero Waste Retailer with the code GZW10!
9. ditch detergent bottles:
Speaking of waterless merchandise… have you ever ever ever thought-about cleaning merchandise?
Effectively Earth Units is a family owned and run retailer in Oregon. They’re dedicated to high quality merchandise with zero plastic, and their laundry detergent STRIPS will rock your world.
Optimistic, I discussed strips! They’re like small objects of paper that you just merely throw in your washer to get each half great clear, they normally work terribly appropriately.
This plastic-free detergent selection is fragrance-free, paraben-free, phosphate-free, readily biodegradable in accordance with OECD 310D, hypoallergenic licensed by neutral dermatologists, biodegradable, vegan, bottle free, AND shipped in plastic-free packaging!
It is important to make use of the code GZW10 to get 10% off your order at Effectively Earth Units!
10. zero waste hand sanitizer:
You’ll guess I’ve been prepared for refillable and zero-waste hand sanitizer — and it’s HERE!
Sanikind has launched a cultured, useful, eco-friendly, and setting nice resolution to maintain healthful on the affiliate with out contributing to the worldwide single-use plastic catastrophe.
Comprised of 100% recycled ocean-bound plastic, Sanikind’s trendy private spray bottle clips acceptable onto your key ring!
Sanikind makes it straightforward to spray down door knobs, your phone, and your arms. Their system is cruelty-free and authorised by WHO and the FDA.
The Sanikind refill is obtainable in a 16oz aluminum bottle, sustaining each half #PlasticFree.
BONUS!! going plastic free as a gift that retains on giving:
Now, that’s my favorite suggestion all via the WHOLE publish, and I’ll will let you perceive why…
A great deal of folks obtained’t be determined to make life-style modifications on their very personal, nonetheless with a simple nudge all through the exact route, chances are you’ll get them hooked.
I’ve achieved this with my mom, grandma, and pop. Principally, as shortly as they found about my eco-friendly life-style, they thought I was a bit uncommon. Then, I gifted them a simple swap like quite a few of the options above, they normally realized these ‘eco-friendly’ swaps have been AWESOME.
Just a few of the swaps saved them money, some saved them time, and some have been merely pleasurable! The underside line is that they’ve been hooked!
So, why not reward a pal or member of the household a small reusable merchandise to permit them to kind out Plastic Free July with you?
As a substitute of wrapping this stuff in typical wrapping paper, which is constituted of plastic, why not go for a BEAUTIFUL pure cotton, no-waste fairly a couple of to wrapping paper that you just merely’ll ought to reuse, physique, or present perpetually.
Wrappr is a woman owned firm based in Toronto, Canada that focuses on collaborating reusable, ‘wrapping paper’ that may very well be utilized repeatedly.
Their function is to take away waste and single-use plastics, and to help artists. Each of the artists receives a decrease of every sale of their prints.
As a bonus, they ship all of their merchandise in recycled and sustainable provides!
Considerably… aren’t they collaborating!? And, chances are you’ll get 15% off your first order with the code ‘GOINGZEROWASTE’ over on Wrappr!
faqs
what are your most attention-grabbing ideas for plastic free july?
Start collectively alongside alongside together with your most interesting areas of weak spot! By doing a trash audit (and even just some honest thought alongside alongside together with your self), you might even see the place you produce primarily almost definitely in all probability probably the most trash. For instance, do you have to clear solely with disposable paper towels, a really perfect place to start out out out out is swapping to reusable cloths/towels.
Should you acknowledge you get a disposable espresso cup day-to-day and order takeout with a plastic container and fork, swap these out for glass Snapware and making your private espresso.
how many individuals participate in no plastic july?
Not sufficient, however it’s getting elevated yearly! According to this affect report, about 29% of worldwide prospects (look at: about 313 million people) have been acutely aware of the concept of a no plastic July, and 13% (about 140 million people) participated in 2021.
According to the equal check out, participation has lowered world demand of two.3% of all bottled water. That alone is insane, however it moreover lowered 3.1% of fruit and vegetable packaging, and 4% of all plastic straws. Take into consideration the affect if all of us used these Plastic Free July ideas! Take into consideration if we carried out even half the next options for the rest of the 12 months as appropriately. We would change the panorama of disposable objects for the upper.
