Will you be part of Plastic Free July by choosing to refuse single-use plastics?
It has been a hard couple of years, there’s no doubt about that, but the issue of plastic pollution is still very much a crisis which we can all help address. With the increasing use of disposable masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment, the need to be aware of what we are using and, even more importantly, what we are throwing away, has never been more important.
Plastic Free July is a campaign created to help millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution, so we can all have cleaner streets, oceans and beautiful communities. There are online resources to help get you started and keep you motivated. I find the best place to start is their Pesky Plastic Quiz (opposite). This quiz gives us a chance to notice and reflect on the types of plastic and single use packaging that we use on a day to day basis. Often, this plastic is ‘invisible’. We see it so often that we don’t notice it anymore, which makes it really hard to avoid it. The quiz also gives a really good idea of what we should all be doing to reduce our reliable on single use plastics as we should all be aiming to do all the things on that list all the time.
My top tip for anyone starting out on this campaign is keep going! Don’t get disheartened if you make a mistake or have a bad day. Every single time you refuse a piece of single use plastic you are succeeding and making a positive choice. And every time you make that positive choice, it will become a little bit easier to remember in future. Good luck and for more information, or to fill your quiz in online, visit www.plasticfreejuly.org. If you’re even looking for a friendly face or someone to chat to about going plastic free, pop in to Natural Weigh – zero waste shop in Crickhowell. – We’re always happy to help.
The Pesky Plastic Quiz
By taking the Plastic Free July Quiz you will discover all the plastics that sneak into your shopping and set yourself up to measure your Plastic Free July success. What’s more, if you fill in the quiz online, (www.plasticfreejuly.org ) you will help the campaign to track the trends in common plastics that households use.
Chloe Masefield
