Plastic Free July - How to Cut Back on Single Use Plastic

What is Plastic Free July?

Plastic Free July is a social movement to challenge ourselves to be more environmentally responsible by cutting out single use plastic.

It's a fun exercise to bring awareness at how much single use plastic we use, and think about where it goes.

You'll find yourself being more mindful and creative in your daily life (bringing your own bottle or bag, choosing an apple for a snack instead of a bag of chips).

The idea is to challenge yourself to go a month without using any single use plastic.

Let's give it a go!

Tips to Reduce Single Use Plastic

Here are some easy ideas to be more environmentally friendly and healthy.

Don't stress about being perfect, a step towards minimizing is already a win.

Use a reusable bottle

For water, coffee, tea, anything liquid. Especially water, if you carry around a bottle of water you just start to feel healthier (especially if you drink soda and juices regularly).

Less than 30% of plastic bottles get recycled, the rest end up in landfills and waterways.

We make it easy with our selection of insulated stainless steel bottles with a lifetime guarantee.

Eat real food

• Apple vs a bag of chips
• Whole foods vs processed/packaged foods loaded with chemicals
• Water vs sugary loaded drinks

The healthy choice for you is also the healthy choice for the Earth. Chips and candy bags aren't recycled, they're trashed. And if you drink water from home out of your reusable bottle, you have no need for plastic drinks.

Say no to straws

[Mr. Garrison voice] Straws are bad mmmkay.

They're unnecessary. Think about what happens to all the straws. They get thrown in the trash to sit in a landfill or find their way into the ocean and an animal eats it, and that plastic might hang out in their stomach until they bloat and die. That's not a good time.

Paper straws and reusable straws are cool. The place I've seen the most ocean plastic (Bali, Indonesia), is the place I've also seen the most restaurants offering non-plastic straws. Businesses will reflect what their customers want.

Just say no to straws.

BYOB

Bring your backpack to the supermarket, or use a reusable bag. We make pocket sized tuck bags that you can stash in your car, pack, or pocket.

I went to a grocery store the other day and they didn't even have plastic bags available. I thought that was cool!

Utentsils

If you find yourself in a situation where you're eating takeout, street food, or often having a plastic fork in your hand, consider getting a reusable utensils pack, like this cool Bamboo set! Great for camping but also practical to have in your bag.

You'll Feel Better

It takes discipline, but that's a good thing. Every time you refuse single use plastic or make the healthier choice, it feels good knowing you're doing the right thing for the Earth.

And to get a bit philosophical, I think discipline is the key to success in any area of life. Practice discipline, and your goals are easier to achieve.

Plastic-ing Responsibly

As humans of Earth, creators of plastic, it's our responsibility to keep it in check and care for our planet.

Plastic has become pretty useful in our modern civilization, but we need to control it and cut wayyyyyy back (all the way?) on single use plastic.

Plastic bottles, straws, bags, food packaging... things intended for 1 time use are trashing up our Earth.

I read that there could be more plastic than fish in the sea, by weight, by 2050 if we don't turn the single use plastic machine around. THAT'S INSANE!

Let's try and cut back on the one time use plastic eh?

Our Commitment

We create consciously and think about the details.

We're committed to using eco friendly packaging: We use Eco Enclose for our shipping materials, we don't wrap our products in plastic sleeves, and we try to think of more ways to be eco friendly as a company.

As we expand we're always thinking of new materials and product ideas that will help contribute to a healthier planet.

Join the Tribe

If you want to join us in cutting back on single use plastic, check out our Plastic Free Challenge collection of eco bottles and portable reusable bags.

With your purchase you're also helping us plant more trees on planet Earth.

More Plastic Free People

Plastic Free Challenge a creative social media campaign to focus on solutions to the plastic pollution problem. They also have challenges and fun logo (turtle playing guitar).

Plastic Free July is an organization that's on a mission to build a global movement that dramatically reduces plastic use and improves recycling, worldwide.