Plastic Free July Is Here!

Plastic is everywhere around us. Take a look away from the screen and you’ll probably see something made from plastic. Now look back at your screen an- OH SWEET JESUS THAT’S MADE FROM PLASTIC TOO. As this little experiment has shown you, there’s no hiding from plastic.

Since its invention in the early 1900s, plastics have opened up a whole new scale of products. From toothbrushes to toy story woody toys (who doesn’t love those): plastics have changed our world. And through many things, such as medical equipment, they have been lifesavers. 

Plastic overdose
These days it’s easier than ever to gather things, and as the hunter-gatherers we are, we like that a lot. Our ancestors would just throw a tool away after using it and we tend to do that too. This wouldn’t be such a problem if plastic could be taken up into nature again, which is sadly not the case. 

This is especially a problem with so-called ‘single-use plastics’. This has created such a big surplus in plastic waste, that we will have more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050. And we like beautiful beaches more than gathering stuff right?!

Solutions are easy
In the last few months, single-use plastics have gotten a lot of media and political attention, which have resulted in bans in certain countries. These governmental interventions have a huge impact on our waste streams, but it also requires a shift in the mindset of us all in order to solve this. This is the reason why we think that initiatives such as Plastic Free July are awesome because they make the barrier to start doing things low. 

Here are some easy steps that you can already take to take part in this movement:

Reuse the plastic that you already have
If you have plastic things laying around, don’t throw them away, but try to use them more often where you can. Think of reusing plastic straws or cups that you have laying around.

Take your own cup with you
Sounds a bit boring, but if you invest in an awesome cup or bottle that you can take with you, do it. Make it your favourite cup and show others at the coffee machine that it’s easy not to use plastic cups.

Switch to natural alternatives when you need something
Bamboo toothbrushes, straw straws and of course plastic free athletic apparel. The alternatives are usually there when you go looking for them. It might take a bit longer to find them, but type in … plastic alternative in Google and you’ll be on your way!

There are a lot more tips on the Plastic Free July website and there are numerous community’s popping up everywhere that help reduce plastic waste. Sadly, there’s no alternative for the toy story woody yet, but as long as you don’t throw it away, there’s no shame in having it :)

Alright friends, that is it for this week, we’ll see you again soon! If you have any questions; feel free to drop em below!