Plastic-Free July 2014

I’ve been really excited about Plastic-Free July this year. Although my partner and I have been minimising plastic gradually over the past twelve months, this is our first official PFJ and there’s something fun about participating in an awareness challenge with the sense that other people all over the world are in it with you. We’ve also challenged ourselves to be a bit more prepared, diligent and accountable for the month: I’ve been scoping out farmers’ markets and bulk food shops, and have created a spreadsheet which allows us to tally how many disposable plastic items we use or refuse during the period.

For anyone who hasn’t heard of Plastic-Free July before, here’s a basic run-down:

• During the month of July, participants attempt to refuse all single-use plastic. This includes foods packaged in plastic at the supermarket. An alternative to this is to refuse the ‘Top 4’ disposable items: plastic shopping bags, plastic straws, take-away coffee cups, and plastic bottles.
• Any unavoidable single-use plastic is collected in what’s called a ‘Dilemma Bag’ – not out of shame but out of recognition of the difficulties of avoiding plastic in today’s world, and to bring awareness to how much we actually consume.

There’s no need to get sponsorship, and if you register at the organisation’s website (plasticfreejuly.org) they’ll send you tips on how to reduce your plastic footprint.

As we’re keeping a tally, we decided to clarify the rules a bit for ourselves: any plastic packaging that was purchased before 1 July, but thrown out during July, doesn’t count towards July’s tally. For example, the packet of biscuits we bought a week ago and just finished today doesn’t count. However, if we then replace that product with another one with the same packaging (e.g., if we went and bought another packet of biscuits), then the original package would count towards the tally. Otherwise it’s too easy for us to stock up on packaged goods at the end of June, and not finish them until August…

Anyway, the point is not to get too bogged down in the details! So far we’re doing alright. July has coincided with my semester break at uni, so I was able to go to the local organic market today when usually I miss out. I prepped myself with my reusable bags and managed to get free-range eggs, organic veggies, bulk (loose) nuts and dried fruit. The nuts and dried fruit were scooped into paper bags which I emptied into the glass jars I’ve been washing and saving lately (everything looks better in glass jars!) For the fruit and veggies, I used mesh produce bags when buying them which also allow them to breath in the fridge (I got mine from onyainnovations.com.au).

The main plastic waste we generated today was from a parcel that came in the mail, wrapped in bubble wrap and sticky tape. Can’t win ’em all, I guess.

Plastic-free groceries!