By Anika Stephens
What is plastic free July?
Plastic free July is a global movement that encourages people to cut down on the amount of plastic they use. Whether it’s completely cutting out plastic for a month or just trying to cut down the amount of single use plastic you would normally buy. Anybody can be a part of plastic free July and help to join in on the solution of ending plastic pollution. The plastic free movement has inspired over 100 million people from 190 different countries, so anybody participating in this, whether they’re doing a lot or just a little, are massively helping the cause.
So what can you do to help?
Going completely plastic free might be difficult for you, so here are some other things you can do instead:
- Always carry a Beanies tote! This may seem like a very small way to help, but if everyone stopped using carrier bags for just a month it would drastically change the amount of plastic waste. In 2019-2020 it was reported that 564 million single use bags were bought that year – that’s around 50 million in only a month.
- Not buying fruit or vegetables in pre-packaged plastic. Fruit and vegetables often come in pre-packaged plastic containers, especially in big UK chain supermarkets. Where possible, going to wholefood shops like Beanies where the fruit and vegetables are loose could really help in cutting down plastic use. Our seasonal organic veg boxes are a low-packaging way to shop, and you can specify plastic-free in your preferences
- Buying bar soap and shampoo. This may seem bizarre, but did you know that 520 million bottles of shampoo are thrown away each year, not including body wash or other cleaning products. If people bought a bar of soap and shampoo instead of the bottled versions they would enormously reduce their plastic footprint, not to mention the fact an average shampoo bar will last 3 times longer than its liquid counterpart.
If you’d like more information on any of this, or have any questions, come in and talk to us!
