Hello, and welcome to my first blog post! This is the first of a month-long series dedicated to Plastic-Free July, which will be posted on Wednesdays from now on. (I would’ve posted on Wednesday, but ‘Merica and all that other great, patriotic stuff!)
To those of you who have spoken to me within the past month, Plastic-Free July is not a new concept. I’ve been bubbling over with excitement about it since I stumbled across this site.
For those of you who haven’t heard about it, however, you’re probably thinking, “Okay, I’m glad you’re excited but… What even is this challenge?” And if you feel daunted and/or skeptical because of the title, don’t worry; I felt the same way at first, also.
This post will provide an overview of the challenge and highlight the struggles/successes I have had within the first few days.
1. What’s the challenge all about?
Plastic-Free July is a challenge that the Australian-based, non-profit Plastic Free July Foundation initiated in 2011. (More information about the organization and the beginnings of this movement here.) Their challenge is simple: avoid all single-use plastics for the entire month of July. The primary single-use targets of the challenge are what the Plastic Free July Foundation calls the “Big Four”: plastic water bottles, straws, shopping bags, and to-go coffee cups.
Now, this doesn’t mean you can’t go shopping, enjoy your coffee or water on the go, or use a straw for your drinks for a month. The purpose of the challenge is to show you how easy it is to swap these plastic materials for more sustainable, reusable alternatives. For instance, instead of buying a case of water bottles, grab the reusable one sitting at the back of your cupboard and refill it throughout the day. Personally, I have accumulated quite a few for free over the past few years from various events.
For daily use, I prefer this awesome Contigo water bottle:
Yes, it’s made of plastic, but it’s reusable and has somehow endured two years of my clumsiness so I’d say it deserves a little shout-out. And no, this is not a sponsored post. 😉
2. Okay, I get the idea. But why should I do it?
Interestingly enough, what motivated me to jump wholeheartedly into this challenge was information I found while researching statistics about plastic shopping bags. Much of what I read presented bold statistics such as this, found in Volume 18 of the Environmental Politics journal:
Today[,] between 500 billion to 1.5 trillion plastic shopping bags are used each year worldwide […] The Worldwatch Institute (2004, p.25), however, points out that globally only a tiny percentage of plastic bags are successfully diverted and those that are not recycled cause environmental problems. In the US [alone], fewer than 5% are recycled, with the remainder ending up in [a] landfill or unintentionally released into the environment (USEPA, 2006).
Accompanying many articles I read were graphics depicting the worldwide usage of plastic shopping bags in comparison to the percentage recycled. Stunned by what I found, I turned to family and friends to see their reactions.
To each person I spoke with, I began by stating, “I read that the world uses approximately 1.5 trillion plastic shopping bags and counting every year. Of that, what percentage do you think is recycled?”
While the responses varied, the majority conceded their estimation that about 10% were recycled. Much like me, their jaws dropped when I revealed that less than 1% of the world’s plastic shopping bags are recycled each year. In addition, I added the sad fact that 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean a year, the equivalence of dumping a garbage truckload of plastic into the ocean each minute (Groden, p. 2).
By making the simple switch from just one of the “Big Four” to reusable cloth bags, this statistic can rapidly be changed. Imagine how much more of an impact you’d have if you tried to target all four categories?
3. The struggle is #REAL.
I only have two stories to share thus far after five days of the challenge, the first of which is from Sunday, July 1st.
I was eating breakfast with my family at a hotel. Between the lively conversation and laughter (in combination with the rush of nearly missing breakfast altogether), it took me a moment to notice how much plastic I had collected for my meal.
Suddenly, each plastic object scattered before me seemed blaringly noticeable: a to-go coffee cup, disposable stirrer straw, three disposable coffee creamers, yogurt cup, and small plastic cup for my orange juice. Day one of the challenge had begun, and I’d already slipped up rather enormously by thoughtlessly grabbing two of the dreaded “Big Four.”
Unfortunately, because breakfast at the hotel was only served with disposable plasticware, I took some major hits after two mornings of hitting the buffet. I didn’t have my phone handy either morning, so I made the graphic below to show the plastic I used. Not pictured is the Styrofoam plate I used on Sunday or the Styrofoam bowl I used on Monday.
Needless to say, I felt pretty disappointed in myself after leaving the hotel. But, instead of letting the disappointment overshadow my enthusiasm to continue the challenge, that defeat quickly turned into inspiration. After all, it would have been ridiculous to give up after two days!
This burst of motivation is what carried me through July 4th with a far more vigilant eye for single-use plastics.
Some friends and I ventured to a local park near the city square, where food trucks galore had set up shop in preparation for the evening’s firework display. I hadn’t thought to bring my water bottle and the heat was suffocating, so I was faced with a tough decision. I could either purchase cheap, single-use plastic to quench my thirst, or wait it out.
I scanned my options and finally decided to get a lemonade from a stand that was doing a promotion for their reusable cups. Although purchasing a $5 Styrofoam cup with disposable straw from them was tempting, I decided to spend the extra $3 to get the medium-sized reusable cup (the white and yellow cup in the middle).
I wasn’t thrilled that the cup was plastic, but I conceded to myself that I’d make that $8 count in the future when I reuse it. The woman who served me promised that I could get an infinite amount of $3 refills whenever I come across one of their stands, so I’m hopeful about it!
As this concludes my current plastic-free updates, I’ll end with the challenge I’ve made for myself.
4. My Plastic-Free July Vows
This is the short, comprehensive list I have made for myself to stay accountable as I continue moving forward with the Plastic-Free July challenge:
- Take photographic evidence documenting each single-use plastic object I use over the next month, including any economically-friendly alternatives I use instead.
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- NOTE: the single-use plastics I use for my job as a preschool assistant teacher will not be included in this count. I must follow the rules and regulations regarding those, as dictated by federal law and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
- Swap out all of the “Big Four” for reusable alternatives.
- Share all of my progress (successes and failures) in each of the upcoming blog posts during this month-long series.
What do you think about all of this? Curious to learn more about the challenge or interested in joining yourself? (You can sign up via the Plastic Free July Foundation’s website here! It’s free!) Leave me a comment below!
Despite the potential challenges I may face during Plastic-Free July such as shopping and takeout food, I am excited to see what else the month has in store for me! 🙂
References
Clapp, Jennifer, and Linda Swanston. “Doing away with plastic shopping bags: international patterns of norm emergence and policy implementation.” Environmental politics 18.3 (2009): 315-332.
Groden, Claire. “Report: Plastic Pollution in the Ocean Is Reaching Crisis Levels.” (2015).
Thoughts & Things 