Plastic Free July

Plastic Free July – Be Part of the Solution

Every day around 8 million pieces of plastic makes their way into our oceans.

It’s been widely reported that by 2050 there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish, by weight.

How does this make you feel?  Are you ready to take the pledge to reduce plastic?

Plastic Free July is a global initiative encouraging all of us to reduce consumption of single-use plastics.

Organisers understand that eliminating plastics for a whole month is nigh-on impossible, all they're asking is for you to be mindful and reduce the amount of plastic you use when possible.

There is no argument that plastic is strong, light, cheap and versatile. It is an important material for our economy, providing multiple benefits to modern-day living. Right now, it is critical in protecting our key workers in their fight against this deadly virus.

Plastic, however, can take up to a thousand years to decompose in landfill. It takes up valuable space in landfill sites and is polluting the natural environment, having a significant impact on our oceans. Many of you would have watched BBC Blue Planet II and A Life on Our Planet programmes where Sir David Attenborough opened our eyes to the damage we are doing to our oceans and the creatures that live within them.

In addition, less than 10% of our plastic waste gets recycled and experts believe that 50% of plastic is single-use. Single-use plastic includes plastic water bottles, plastic packaging, coffee cups, coffee pods, wipes, menstrual products, nappies, dog poo bags and shopping bags etc. Easy swaps exist for all of these products so, for me, moving away from single-use plastic was an easy decision.

In preparation for Plastic Free July why not take the opportunity to read up on ways you can reduce single-use plastic?

HOW TO REDUCE PLASTIC

Some simple suggestions are:

·     Produce bags can be used for fruit, veg as well as your staples including bread. Opt for loose fruit and veg where possible

·     Tote shopping bags so you’re prepared for any impromptu purchases

·     Reusable cups and water bottles

·     Beeswax wraps to store leftovers

·     Reusable cloth napkins or bamboo kitchen towels

·     Reusable utensil set - bamboo or pack some from home!

·     Use refillable condiments, instead of relying on single-use sachets

·     Ask your shops to stock biodegradable products including tea bags, instead of those sealed with plastic.

Shop NO Plastic has a brilliant children's activity calendar for July, with different 'plastic-free'  and 'eco-friendly' ideas for each day of the month.   

For more information on Plastic Free July, and to get involved, click here. 

Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Check out Haslemere's local eco-friendly and zero-waste businesses here.