July is just around the corner. That means it’s time to get ready for Plastic Free July 2023. Whether you’re new to Plastic Free July or a seasoned veteran, you’ll want to download or print my calendar of simple plastic-free swaps. Pick one or two changes or commit to trying all 31. By doing so, you’ll be joining over a hundred million people around the world taking steps to make a difference for our planet.

This will be my fifth year participating in Plastic Free July. Every year it gets harder to find new ways to reduce plastic. Read on for an update on the Plastic Free July movement and an overview of my plans for Plastic Free July 2023. And don’t forget to download your calendar.

What is Plastic Free July?

Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of ordinary people be part of the solution to plastic pollution. It started in Australia in 2011. In just 12 years, the movement has grown significantly. In 2022, 140 million people around the world combined to reduce 2.6 million tonnes of waste. (Source: Plastic Free July Impact Report 2022)

Despite the progress, there is still work to be done.  

Without collective intervention, a ‘business as usual’ scenario is expected to double our plastic generation by 2040. This will triple our plastic leakage into the ocean, in turn quadrupling levels of plastic pollution.

Plastic Free Foundation

It’s clear that, while our individual efforts add up, we need coordinated, collective global action. In 2022, 175 countries who are part of the United Nations Environment Assembly agreed to create a global treaty to end plastic pollution. Negotiations on the details of the treaty are expected to be completed by 2024.

It remains to be seen whether these negotiations will result in a lasting agreement, or if the powerful fossil fuel lobby will prevail in their quest to continue polluting our planet.

Until then, each of us can make a difference by focusing on our personal impact, and letting our elected officials know we support the work being done on a global treaty.

Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.

My plans for Plastic Free July 2023

Use single-use items twice

One of the things I find most disturbing about single-use plastic is that something we use for a few days, months, or sometimes minutes, stays on the planet forever after we throw it away.

Idealists would say the best thing to do is avoid single-use plastic altogether. That’s great in theory, but I’ve learned over the years that it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to completely eliminate single-use plastic.

So, what if we recycled our plastics? I’m an avid recycler and know it makes a difference. Yet globally just 14% of plastic waste is recycled, and only 2% is recycled into an equally useful product. (Source: World Economic Forum) Clearly, recycling is an imperfect solution, so it should be a last resort.

So that leaves reusing. Imagine the impact if every single-use plastic item was reused at least once before being recycled or discarded. It could cut our household waste in half instantly!

Examples of single-use items you can reuse

Since 2019, I’ve drastically reduced the number of single-use plastic items in our household. For the few products I still buy in single use packaging, I’ve started to reuse the packaging as much as possible. Here are a few examples of single-use items I reuse regularly.

• Wash and reuse freezer bags and sandwich bags multiple times.
• Reuse bags from frozen produce.
• Yogurt and other plastic containers are great for food storage or for organizing small items inside drawers.
• Takeout containers are excellent for storing leftovers or delivering homemade food to friends and family.
• We rarely see plastic grocery and shopping bags these days. Use those you do get to line garbage bins. For dry waste, dump the garbage into a large garbage bag or bin so you can keep using the same plastic bag in the smaller bin.

This July, I’m going to assess other single-use plastic items I come across to see if there’s a way to reuse or upcycle them. I’ll let you know how it goes every week in The Sunday Spark

Look for tips every Thursday

Since my first Plastic Free July challenge in 2020, I’ve written a lot of posts with tips and tricks to reduce plastic. Throughout July, I’ll share some of my favourites in weekly Throwback Thursday posts.

Download your Plastic Free July 2023 calendar

If you’re ready to make a start on your Plastic Free July commitments, click the image below to download your calendar. For helpful tips, see 31 ways you can join the Plastic Free July movement.

Together, we can make a difference for our planet. Let’s get started.

Will you be participating in Plastic Free July 2023? Let me know your thoughts below.