Plastic Free July: Small Swaps, Big Shifts

Every July, millions of people around the world take on the challenge to refuse single-use plastics. But it isn’t just about skipping the plastic cutlery- it’s about reimagining our relationship with convenience, consumption, and community. With plastic pollution now confirmed to be affecting every corner of the planet, from waste islands in the pacific, to microplastics found in alpine glaciers, this month is a call to action and a chance to make meaningful change.

The Problem With Plastics

• Every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic enters our oceans, and this volume is expected to double by 2030.
• Over 90% of plastics ever produced have not been recycled.
• Microplastics are now found in human blood, brain, and even placentas. We don’t yet know what this will mean for humanity.

Plastic is everywhere. And while recycling has its place, it’s not the cure-all solution we once believed. Most plastics aren’t truly recyclable in practical terms. Many products labelled recyleable are require specific and energy intensive processes to bring them back to a useable state- and even then, most degrade in quality and often end up in landfills or the environment after just one or two cycles.

What’s Being Done

From government bans on single-use bags and microbeads, to innovative startups creating packaging from mushrooms and seaweed, there’s growing momentum for change. Businesses are beginning to take responsibility through reuse schemes and compostable options. But without the support of community, the economy of scale for replacing single use plastics with more sustainable options just isn’t there yet. But there is hope, and each one of us can make a difference.

Your Plastic-Free Challenge

There’s no one way to go plastic-free. Here are some tiered ideas to help you start where you are, and stretch a little further:

 Start Small:

• Bring reusable shopping and produce bags. And if you’re anything like me, you forget them. Try keeping your shopping bags by the door, or in the car- or roll up a canvas tote to keep in your bag or pocket. And in the case you *do* forget, try packing your groceries into cardboard boxes before buying a new one.
• Find a local bulk food store, where you can fill your own jars and containers with essentials, like dried fruit, pasta and grains.
• Say no to reciepts, bags, and plastic cutlery.

Level Up:

• Commit to cooking at home for the whole month- breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks-using unpackaged wholefoods or sustainably packaged ingredients. It’s a challenge, but your body and the earth will thank you.
• Avoid contributing to plastic waste in the supply chain (and supporting local businesses) but shopping at markets and specialty grocery stores. Get your bread from a baker, meat from a butcher, fruit and veggies from the local fruit shop. The quality will always be better, and who knows? maybe it’ll send a message that slows down price-gauging and reckless waste at larger chain-supermarkets.
• Replace worn out every-day products with plastic-free alternatives. Need a new t-shirt? check the label, and choose natural fibres like Hemp, cotton or linen. Try a bamboo toothbrush, or a biodegradable dish brush.

Think Big:

• Start or join a food collective with friends and neighbours. We all have something in the pantry we probably won’t get to, some of us have a passionfruit vine or lemon tree in the back yard.  Why not swap ingredients with a friend?
• Advocate for recycling bins and programs in your area. Start a petition or write in to the local member.
• Try making your own kitchen staples like bread, coconut yoghurt, or plant-based milk. With just a handful of bulk ingredients, you can stock a fridge with variety.

Reuse What You Can’t Refuse

Plastic sneaks in. The key is to reuse when necessary and rethink its purpose:

• #1 PET and #6 PS can both be used to make oven-bake Shrinky Dinks.  You’ll find this plastic in all kinds of takeaway containers. Grab a sharpie and go wild!
• Use clear fruit containers as mini greenhouses for seedlings.
• Repurpose tubs and punnets as organizers for the pantry, study or kid’s room.
• Turn soft plastics into eco bricks. Buy filling PET bottles with enough single use, soft plastics, you can create a “brick” that can be used to build non-loadbearing structures, like garden walls.

Hidden Plastics We Don’t Talk About Enough

• Coffee cups: Even many “compostable” or “recyclable” cups are lined with plastic and require industrial recycling facilities. Most end up in landfill.
• Clothing: Polyester, nylon, spandex, and acrylic fabrics are plastic. One polyester T-shirt can shed thousands of microfibres per wash cycle into waterways.
• Tea bags: Many brands seal their bags with plastic. Try loose leaf tea with a metal infuser or muslin pouch.
• Gum: modern chewing gums contain synthetic rubber, ie. plastic.
• Toothpaste and cosmetics: Microbeads have been banned in Australia, plastics can still hide under names like acrylates copolymer or carbomer.

Being mindful of these stealthy plastics helps us make better decisions, and advocate for real alternatives—not just greenwashed ones.

Less Is More: Rethinking Our Relationship With “New”

Modern consumption has often replaced joy with novelty. Shopping has become stress relief. But cutting back doesn’t have to mean missing out. It can mean:

• Pausing before buying: Ask, Do I already own something that will do the job?

• Researching brands: Ask, Does this company have sustainable practices? 

• Falling in love with repair: Mending a shirt or gluing a broken mug makes us more connected to our things.

• Sharing and borrowing: Community libraries, tool swaps, or simply texting a friend- do you have a blender I can borrow?

• Buying fewer, better things: Investing in quality (especially when it comes to hemp or natural fibres!) pays off long-term.

When we slow our consumption, we rediscover creativity, resourcefulness, and a deeper kind of satisfaction.

Zero-Waste Ideas to Try This Month

In the Kitchen:

• Make your own veggie broth from food scraps.

• Use glass jars from sauces or pickles for storage.

• Use a multipurpose cleaning product, like Dr. Bronner’s Hemp Castille Soap. 18 uses, one package.

• Compost food waste—start small with a countertop composter, like the Eco Basics Kitchen Compost Bin.

• Use cloths and biodegradeable brushes instead of single use wipes, or plastic sponges.

On the Go:

• Carry a “zero-waste kit”: a reusable water bottle, cutlery, cloth bag, and container.

• Keep your reusable shopping bags where you’ll remember them.

• Bring your own cup to cafes—or just slow down and dine in.

In the Bathroom:

• Try shampoo and conditioner bars.

• Use a safety razor instead of disposables.

• Try washable makeup rounds and facecloths. We love Ever Eco’s Reusable facial pads.

Wardrobe + Laundry:

• Mend small holes or host a clothing swap with friends.

• Use a microfiber filter for synthetic fabrics.

• Choose natural fibres like hemp, linen, or organic cotton.

Community + Lifestyle:

• Borrow or lend tools, camping gear, or party supplies.

• Share surplus food or pantry items with neighbours.

• Join a local buy-nothing group.

• Track your waste for one week-and see what you learn.

Plastic-Free July isn’t about being perfect. It’s about choosing a little more mindfully. And remembering that you’re part of something bigger: a global movement reshaping our relationship with stuff.