Plastic Free July is the perfect reason to become more eco-friendly. Here you’ll find some basic tips to start your new sustainable lifestyle, it’s a beginner guide to reducing plastic waste.
Simple habits to start this Plastic Free July
choose package free
While shopping opt for the package-free options or choose the plastic-free version of the package. Jars are great for reusing them later, aluminium is easier to recycle & paper is biodegradable. If you can’t find a good alternative maybe you’ll find a package made from recycled plastic which is significantly better.
prepare your own food
Preparing your own food will help you reduce waste from take-outs and snack packaging. Choosing simple ingredients instead of processed foods will also help you reduce waste. They’re often packaged more lightly or even available in a bulk section of the store.
reduce your fish consumption
The biggest part of plastic waste in oceans is fishing nets. What you can do to minimize the impact is simply reduce your consumption of fish.
create a zero-waste kit
Think of the single-use items you can change for the reusable version. Perhaps you have something already in your home that could serve this purpose. Collect substitutes and create a kit out of them. Use it and with time find out what works & what doesn’t. Change it up to your needs.
The 4 easiest single-use swaps
single-use coffee cup
Coffee cups even when made from paper are lined with plastic so that they won’t leak.
When in need of coffee ask yourself: Do you really need to take it to go? Maybe it would be nice to sit in a coffee shop and enjoy your beverage at a location in some cool porcelain cup.
If you’re constantly in a hurry, invest in a reusable coffee cup. This way you can go with your reusable cup to your local cafe and enjoy coffee to go without plastic waste.
Let’s say that you drink 3 coffees a day, that’s 21 in a week & 84 per month, which makes about 1 000 cups a year. Using your own cup is a huge amount of plastic you can simply refuse.
plastic straw
The next plastic object to avoid is straw. This became a symbol of the zero waste movement & even though it’s not responsible for the majority of ocean waste it’s the easiest one to avoid.
The only ones who truly need them are people with disabilities. But if that’s not you, you can just refuse to have it with your drink.
If the straw gives you some kind of satisfaction & increases your level of happiness buy yourself really pretty one that you can reuse.
plastic bag
I’m sure you have a few reusable bags in your home already. The only thing you need to do is remember to take it from home. You can put it in your bag or in your car & keep it there so that you always have it by your hand.
Remember that making a reusable bag is more energy demanding, so the whole point of it is to reuse the ones that you have.
plastic bottle
We all need to drink water, so a reusable bottle is a must.
Drinking tap water is a really easy change (also saves you money).
It may be harder to replace plastic bottles if your tap water isn’t allowed for consumption. In this case, I recommend buying a filter for your tap, a jug or a reusable bottle with a filter.
Plastic Free July content recommendations
Read books and articles on this topic, watch documentaries & follow sustainable content creators.
books
- “F**k plastic. 101 ways to free yourself from plastic and save the world.”
- “How to Give Up Plastic: A Guide to Changing the World, One Plastic Bottle at a Time” by Will McCallum
movies
- Plastic ocean
- Plastic planet
- The story of plastic
- Out of plastic
- Wall-E
content creators
Also here’s a post on How to be inspired to live an eco-lifestyle?
These few tips should make this Plastic Free July easier for you. Think of it as the first step in your sustainable lifestyle.
On my Instagram & YouTube channel I’ll be realising more visual content.
