Last week Kate from Plastic is Rubbish asked me what I´m doing for Plastic Free July. I was like…. errr haven´t really thought about doing anything, but I should.
Why not do anything? In the past years since Being PALL July has meant busy working season, so I´ve just carried on as normal, Being PALL – Plastic A Lot Less. Free? No. I´ll never be free of plastic, but Plastic Free July understand that. Plastic Free July is about Single Use Plastics, not all plastics.
Plastic Free July aims to raise awareness of the amount of single-use disposable plastic in our lives and challenges people to do something about it.
I already do a lot about it, but what I don´t do is keep the plastic I do use. I have 101 excuses for this, but a good one I feel, is I´ve lived in about 10 house and a camper van since Being PALL. I´m not planning on moving anytime soon, and I´m blogging now, so no more excuses!
What I´m going to do for Plastic Free July 2015 is keep all the plastic I might otherwise throw “away”, in this little bin I found at the charity shop today.
The big bins my house´s bin, which was left by the last tenent´s – it looks bigger in the picture. It´s “normal” size. Mine is the little bin, bathroom size. Ambitious? Yep! I´m hoping I won´t fill it… but we´ll see!
- I´m not going to include when my house mates, family etc cook for me.
- Or when I eat out, what´s gone on behind the scenes, that´s impossible!
- If I end up being giving plastic when I´m out, I´ll bring it home.
- I´m not going to do anything different from normal.
- I won´t hord on too stuff to get rid of in August!
I´ll keep what I collect and share it at the end…
(This July might be the July my 8 year old Mac Book gives up so that will totally bugger it! I hope not, I hope this machine carry´s on working, even if it has worked like a cart horse the last 8 years and is screaming at me…)
So, what is and who are Plastic Free July? They are another totally inspiring story from Down Under, and another inspiring story of individual action.
In Brief, Rebecca Prince-Ruiz. After going to a recycling center as part of her job for the Western Metropolitan Regional Council (WMRC) in Perth, Western Australia was totally blown away. She turned up to work one day in 2011 and said, “Hey, let´s go plastic free next month.”
Fast forward four years, in 2014 over 14,000 people from sixty nine counties participated and they have gone on to inspire people to live plastic free, not just for July.
Up for the challenge? You can register here Plastic Free July and they´ll send you everything you need. I´m excited to register now! Be interesting to see what I can learn from them.
The Challenge
The challenge is quite simple. Attempt to refuse single-use plastic during July. “Single-use” includes plastic shopping bags, plastic cups, straws, plastic packaging…basically anything that’s intended only to be used once and then discarded. If refusing ALL single-use plastic sounds too daunting this time, try the TOP 4 challenge (plastic bags, bottles takeaway coffee cups & straws).
The rules
- Attempt to refuse single-use plastic during July.
- Remember it’s not going to be easy! It is a challenge, not a competition so don’t worry about being perfect.
- Collect any unavoidable single-use plastic you buy. Keep in a dilemma bag and share it with us at the end of the challenge.
- It’s up to you regarding how long you participate. You might decide to go plastic-free for a day, a week, a month or longer! However long you choose will still make a contribution.
So thank you Kate for giving me the nudge I needed. If you do register, let me know, I´d love to hear how you got on! I´ll show you my bin in August…
Remember, every refusal adds up! You may feel you´re alone, but Plastic Free July goes to show, you´re not!
Being-PALL 