JOIN THE CHALLENGE AND ‘CHOOSE TO REFUSE SINGLE-USE PLASTIC DURING JULY.
Imagine a world without plastic waste. That’s our mission to build a global movement that dramatically reduces plastic use and improves recycling, worldwide.
The plastic bottles, bags, and takeaway containers that we use just for a few minutes use a material that is designed to last forever.
These plastics:
break up, not break down – becoming permanent pollution
have low rates of recycling (only 9% of all plastics ever made have been recycled) and are mostly downcycled (made into low-grade product for just one more use) or sent to landfill
‘escape’ from bins, trucks, events, etc. to become ‘accidental litter’
end up in waterways and the ocean – where scientists predict there will be more tonnes of plastic than tonnes of fish by 2050
transfer to the food chain – carrying pollutants with them
increase our eco-footprint – plastic manufacturing consumes 6% of the world’s fossil fuels
Every bit of plastic ever made still exists and in the first 10 years of this century the world economy produced more plastic than the entire 1900's!
SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
Bin liner (plastic bag)
Deodorant
Doggy doo bags
Coffee cup (lid)
Gladwrap / cling film
Hair brush
Milk
Nappies (diapers) - disposable
Pasta
Plastic bag
Plastic drink bottle
Plastic straw
Sanitary pads
Shampoo
Tampons
Toilet paper
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
PLASTIC-FREE ALTERNATIVE
Line your bin with several layers of newspaper.
Make your own deodorant (see our recipe)
Folded up newspaper
Request no lid / take a reusable cup
Reusable container / aluminium foil / fabric wraps
Keep an eye out for wooden/bamboo hairbrushes
Look for milk in refillable glass bottles
Reusable cloth nappies
Make your own, buy in bulk or look for cardboard-packaged pasta
Arms /cardboard box / reusable bag
Reusable drink bottle
Lips / metal or glass straw
Make your own or buy washable reusable pads online
Solid bar shampoo
Try menstrual cups (more info here)
Look for toilet paper wrapped in paper
Look for a wooden bamboo toothbrush