Next week we will be kicking off Plastic-Free July and we will be coming at you with ideas all month long on how you can choose to refuse single-use plastic! Be sure to follow along on Instagram!
What is Plastic-Free July?
Plastic-Free July is a global movement to reduce single-use plastic waste every day at home, work, school, and within your community. Every year millions of people take the challenge to be part of the solution and envision a world without plastic waste. By choosing to refuse single-use plastics, a small change by many can make a huge difference in the world’s plastic pollution problem.
What’s wrong with plastic?
Plastic-Free July aims to raise awareness of the problems with disposable plastic and challenges people to do something about it by refusing single-use plastic. Single-use plastics, such as plastic bottles, bags, and takeaway boxes are designed to last forever and yet we only use them for a few minutes.
These plastics:
- break up, not break down becoming permanent pollution.
- are mostly downcycled (made into a low-grade product for just one more use) or sent to landfill.
- escape from bins, trucks, events, etc. to become accidental litter.
- end up in waterways and the ocean where scientists predict there will be more tons of plastic than tons of fish by 2050.
- transfer over into the food chain carrying pollutants with them.
- increase our eco-footprint. Plastic manufacturing consumes 6% of the world’s fossil fuels.
Every bit of plastic ever made still exists and in the first 10 years of this century, the world economy produced more plastic than the entire 1900’s!
Is it possible to go completely Plastic-Free?
Plastic is everywhere from our phones, cars, and computers to the aisles of the grocery store and beyond. Does that mean that we can’t ever be completely Plastic-Free? Possibly, but that doesn’t me we shouldn’t try! In addition to causing environmental problems, plastic has been shown to have serious health consequences. That’s because essential pieces of the plastic mixture, BPA and phthalates, can leach out over time. Prolonged exposure to those can cause a bunch of health problems.
So for your health and the health of the planet, consider taking some steps to reduce the plastic in your life. While you may not be able to eliminate plastic everywhere, the more you can avoid it the better. Remember, progress, not perfection! Consider your habits at home, at work, traveling and shopping.
There are probably lots of ways you can reduce your plastic footprint by making a few easy switches. And hey, by choosing Plaine Products for your personal care needs you’ve already made a great step along your Plastic-Free journey!
Will you be part of Plastic-Free July by choosing to refuse single-use plastics? Join us and take the challenge! And find us Instagram where we will be sharing Plastic-Free July ideas and inspiration all month long!
