July heralds an exciting month of raising awareness about plastic waste and the impact it is having on our planet. Have you heard of Plastic Free July? Well, we are here to tell you all about it and tell you how you can get involved. 

What is Plastic Free July?

Plastic Free July is an initiative that was launched in 2011 by the Plastic Free Foundation. It aims to engage everyone in the organisation’s vision of creating a world free of plastic waste. The campaign is very clear – it is designed to educate people on the importance of reducing plastic waste and support people to make one change at a time.

What is the fuss about plastic?

There has never been a time where this sort of campaign work has been more relevant, because there is no denying that plastic is visible absolutely everywhere. Littered on the streets we walk on. In packaging of every product on every shelf of every bathroom and kitchen, shop and fast food chain. We are producing 380 million tonnes of the stuff every year¹ for applications including packaging, building and agricultural materials, carpets, toys, clothes, shoes, medical equipment and machinery. Half of that plastic will make items designed for single use²!

What is the problem with plastic? Plastics are made from fossil fuels, so their production is putting a strain on the earth’s dwindling fossil fuel resource. Approximately 91% of plastics are not recycled³. Plastic waste is ending up in nature reserves, landfills, rivers and the oceans, harming and killing wildlife. Microplastics from plastic breakdown are in the water we drink, the air we breathe and the food we eat. There is a growing body of research that shows that microplastics are harmful when ingested by mammals. In particular, scientists have shown that microplastics can bind to toxic chemicals that are still circulating from decades past (hence the name persistent) and actually increase their toxic effects⁴, so we will likely be ingesting more than just plastics.

The global community needs to take action on this to curb our dependence and use of plastic products, as well as clean up the waste that is accumulating. This filters down from government agencies right down to individuals like you and me, to consider the things we do and the products we buy. There has never been a more important time to take action on this.

Give me some facts and stats on plastics

• 500 billion plastic bags are used globally per year¹, that’s 1 million bags per minute. 
• 14 billion plastic bottles were used in 2018, of which 7.7 billion were estimated to be used for bottled water⁵.
• The ready meal market is worth £4 billion. The majority are made of plastics like PET and polypropylene, but even plastic-free trays are coated with an inner plastic coating to protect it from the food⁶. Additionally, cardboard containers contaminated with oils and food cannot be recycled. 
• Market research has shown that 468 million cleaning spray bottles are thrown away per year⁷. 
• The UK uses 2.5 billion disposable hot drinks cups a year, 1.1 billion single use plates and 4.25 billion items of single use cutlery⁸.  
• Plastic has infiltrated the laundry industry. There are plastics like PET used for plastic packaging. There are also plastics in pods and laundry sheets that maintain their integrity. There are even plastics used in patented stain remover formulations. These also break down in the wash and release microplastics into the water. 
• Plastic has infiltrated the bathroom. In the UK alone we are throwing away an estimated 200 million toothbrushes per year⁹. Toothpaste tubes are made of layered plastic and metal that is extremely difficult and costly to recycle and take 400 years to break down in landfill. The UK throws 300 million tubes per year. containing enough plastic to wrap around the globe twice¹⁰. We throw away 2 billion plastic disposable razors and blades a year^11.

What can I do to reduce MY plastic consumption?

Here are 20 suggestions to help you reduce your plastic waste this month:

1. Pledge to buy one food item plastic free. How about pasta or spaghetti? Dried lentils or beans? You can buy these by weight at your nearest zero waste shop, where you can either take your own jars and containers or use paper bags that they provide. Alternatively, you can get these from online services such as the Abel and Cole Club Zero. 
2. Take your own reusable bags when you go shopping.
3. Say no to plastic produce bags at the greengrocers and the supermarkets.
   Where feasible, buy loose produce rather than produce in pre-packaged plastic or fruit net bags, because these won’t be accepted by your council recycling scheme. Buy (or even make) reusable produce bags. 
4. Stop buying bottled water
   Purchase your own reusable water bottle and get into the habit of carrying it with you. In addition, why not download the Refill app? This handy app can help you to find places to refill your water bottle for free, as well as finding businesses that are committed to reducing plastic consumption, such as cafes, restaurants and zero waste shops in your area. 
5. Say no to plastic beverage bottles
   Buy alternatives such as aluminium cans or glass bottles, and make sure you recycle them. Alternatively, you can use blogs and Youtube tutorials for inspiration to make your own beverages at home. 
6. Say no to single use household cleaning products
   You can buy dishwasher and laundry powder as well as household cleaning detergents by weight from your local zero waste shops. They are also available in concentrated form that can be reconstituted in water in a reusable spray bottle that will save you from creating plastic waste. 
7. Avoid single use milk and juice cartons
   Look for glass bottles. Alternatively, you can subscribe to a milk service. You can also try making your own non-dairy milks at home. There are some great YouTube tutorials that can help you to do this. 
8. Avoid single use food packaging
   Making your own packed lunches will avoid you having to buy single use food packaging and save you money.
   Take containers with you to restaurants if you anticipate having leftovers to bring home. 
9. Avoid single use cups by carrying a reusable drinks cup with you. 
10. Say no to single use cutlery and carry your own reusable set with you. 
11. Avoid single use shampoo and conditioner bottles
    Buy solid shampoo and conditioner bars. If you prefer liquid formulations, refill your bottles at your local zero waste shops. 
12. Ditch single use plastic razors
    Buy a stainless steel safety razor, and make sure you recycle your razor blades when they become blunt. 
13. Ditch single use toothbrushes and toothpaste
    Look into sustainable alternatives such as toothpaste and mouthwash tablets or jarred toothpaste. You will find a range of these at your local zero waste shops. Buy a bamboo toothbrush. If you have an electric toothbrush, look for sustainable electric toothbrush heads for your model online. 
14. Avoid tea bags that contain plastic
    Teabags are often sealed with a plastic that helps to prevent them from disintegrating in hot water. Home brands from Sainsburys, Aldi and Asda are all plastic free. However, teabags are not compostable. Teabags from Hampstead Tea, Neals Yard, Yorkshire Tea and Teapigs are plastic-free and compostable and can be placed in food waste recycling.
    Alternatively, you can buy loose leaf tea along with steel strainers and reusable tea bags at your local zero waste shops. 
15. Buy more sustainable cooking utensils
    Teflon coating is a type of plastic that cannot be removed from the pan at the end of its life. Buy non-coated alternatives such as stainless steel, ceramic and iron. Similarly, don’t buy plastic cooking utensils, opt for longer lasting stainless steel ones. 
16. Buy sustainable cleaning equipment
    When your current products come to the end of their life, buy compostable sponges instead of plastic scrubbing pads, copper or steel scourers and compostable or cotton dishcloths. You can buy more sustainable dish brushes such as bamboo and coconut bristles that are compostable at the end of their life.  
17. Buy sustainable plastic-free toilet rolls
    Toilet rolls made from bamboo or recycled paper are more sustainable than ones made from trees. Look out for FSC certified bamboo so that you know it was farmed sustainably.
    Avoid plastic shrink wrapped toilet rolls and buy toilet rolls wrapped in paper, such as Bamboo Bobbi or the Cheeky Panda. You can find these at your local zero waste shops. 
18. Look into reusable and sustainable nappies
    Reusable nappies are laundered and save a lot of waste going to landfill or incineration. You can find a local nappy library via Google where you can learn more about these products and try them for yourself before investing. They actually work out cheaper than buying disposable nappies over the time your child is in nappies. 
19. Shop local
    By buying more products from local, independent businesses you will generate less waste, including plastic delivery packaging as well as carbon dioxide emissions from transporting goods ordered online. This should include farmers’ markets, where you can buy locally farmed produce. 
20. Look into sustainable menstrual products
    Look into period pants, reusable period pads/liners and silicone Mooncups. These products save you from generating a lot of waste as well as money in the long term.
    

You don’t need to change everything at once. That is enough to overwhelm anyone. Choose one change to take and sign up to the pledge on the Plastic Free July website. Add in more if and where you are able. Just one change can and will make an impact on the amount of plastic waste.  

If you upload any photos of you taking part in the pledge on social media, tag us in on Instagram @sheffieldactiononplastic so we can celebrate and support you. 

Can you suggest any companies that can help me become plastic free?

Check out our Plastic Free Champions

Find your local zero waste shops. Here is a handy list of Sheffield’s zero waste shops: 

• The Unwrapped Shop, Crookes
  https://www.unwrappedshop.co.uk
• Our Zero Waste Shop, University of Sheffield Student’s Union
  https://su.sheffield.ac.uk/eat-drink-shop/our-zero-waste-shop
• The Bare Alternative, Abbeydale Road
  https://www.barealternative.co.uk
• Hillsborough Refill Hub
  https://hillsboroughrefillhub.co.uk
• It’s All About Eco, Dore
  https://itsallabouteco.uk/about-us/refill-shop/
• Refill Tree, Sharrowvale Road

References

1. Earth Day End Plastic Pollution Fact Sheet: Single Use Plastics
   www.earthday.org/fact-sheet-single-use-plastics/
2. Plastic Oceans Plastic Pollution Facts
   plasticoceans.org/the-facts/#:~:text=We%20have%20developed%20a%20%E2%80%9Cdisposable,just%20once%20and%20thrown%20away.
3. British Plastics Federation Plastic Recycling
   www.bpf.co.uk/Sustainability/Plastics_Recycling.aspx#2.2
4. Costigan E et al. (2022) Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, 6 Adsorption of organic pollutants by microplastics: Overview of a dissonant literature. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, Volume 6,100091. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hazadv.2022.100091
5. Friends of the Earth World Water Day: Action urged on plastic bottles
   https://friendsoftheearth.uk/sustainable-living/world-water-day-action-urged-plastic-water-bottles
6. The Processing and Packaging Machinery Association: Ready Meal Packaging https://www.ppma.co.uk/ppma/machinery-finder/machinery-explained/ready-meals.html
7. Gov.UK Press Release. Plans unveiled to ban single-use plastics November 2021
   https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plans-unveiled-to-ban-single-use-plastics
8. Green Whale. How many plastic shampoo bottles are wasted each year? April 2022
   https://greenwhale.eu/en/how-many-plastic-shampoo-bottles-are-wasted-each-year/
9. Mirror Online article. Each Brit disposes of 242 plastic bottles and 109 single use coffee cups every year. 29 April 2020. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/each-brit-disposes-242-plastic-21947573
11. British Dental Journal editorial (2021); 230 (290) 200 million toothpaste tubes go to landfill. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-021-2926-y
12. Waste Away Group blog. 21/07/2019. Are disposable razors recyclable? https://wasteawaygroup.com/blog/are-disposable-razors-recyclable/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Environmental%20Protection,end%20up%20in%20the%20ocean.