Happy Friday, everyone! This week’s post is about what I’m thinking about going into Plastic-Free July. The big takeaway (almost a TL;DR, if you will) is that I’ll be setting intentions this year, and I encourage you to do the same. If you have no idea what Plastic-Free July is, after you finish this post, check out the website (plasticfreejuly.org). The idea is pretty clear in the name but it’s worth a search around to find resources and events in your area.
If I’m being honest, over the past few years, Plastic-Free July has been on my radar but I haven’t really approached it with anything like a goal or even a clear intention. That changes this year. I have three main intentions for Plastic-Free July 2024. Tell me in the comments below if you want updates throughout the month!
First, I will minimize my single-use plastic consumption to the greatest extent possible.
I know that there will be some limits to being able to implement that with my entire household. My personal goal for this year is to avoid plastic food packaging when grocery shopping.
For me, that will look like remembering to use my produce bags (or going without entirely), choosing to refill containers when needed, and looking for ways to get things home that usually – almost unavoidably – come in plastic of some kind. I’m thinking about milks and yogurts, specifically.
I like plant-based milks, which I could make at home, but the other members of my household prefer cow milk. Because of this, the big plastic jugs or plastic-lined cartons are nearly impossible to forego. In my location, we have only one glass-only option that I’m aware of, so I’ll be looking around the next time I need to buy cow milk. If you’ve got tips for making yogurt at home, please let me know!
When I say that I will avoid plastic food packaging, I’m not suggesting that I’ll be making all of our snacks from scratch or radically altering our household’s eating plans in order to avoid it. I WILL be doing my best and, above all, I’ll be thinking about how I can make the switch away from plastics, even if I don’t have the resources to do that now.
Second, I will be continuing to use the plastics I already have…
but will NOT be bringing any new ones in. Don’t come for me in the comments: I know that micro-plastics are a serious problem. I also know that I don’t have to do everything all at once in order to work toward a more sustainable lifestyle (neither do you). We’ve begun to replace plastic things with plastic-free alternatives as and when they need to be replaced. It’s a process, and one that can take a while. I don’t feel pressured to buy things to ‘celebrate’ or participate in Plastic-Free July, and you shouldn’t either.
One thing I DO intend to do with respect to the existing plastics in my home during this month is to be observant about how many of my reusable items are also plastics in some form – silicone food wraps and plastic tops for glass storage containers, I’m looking at you – and research and plan their plastic free replacements. Even now, I’m aware that I need some new beeswax wraps (or to at least refresh the ones that I have). I also need to learn how to responsibly dispose of the old plastic things when the time comes.
Third, and finally, my Plastic-Free July will include education.
I’ll be using Plastic-Free July as an opportunity to have more conversations with my child about single-use plastics in particular and plastics more generally. We live relatively close to an ocean and a few other waterways, so we’ll likely Take 3 For The Sea at least a few times over the summer, for example. (If you don’t know about Take 3 For the Sea, you should check it out! Even though the initiative focuses on beaches, you don’t need to live near the sea – any waterway or natural environment would do. Visit take3.org to learn more).
We’ll also continue to do some things that we do regularly anyway, like taking flexible plastics to the recycling depot and using shampoo bars. We’ll have some chats – again – about why we do these things.
What are you doing for this month? Got some great tips? What changes will you make? Do you set intentions or goals? Let me know in the comments!
Also, shout out to Australia for these two great environmental initiatives! Thanks!