It is the first day of August, which means that Plastic-Free July has come to a close. I should mention that I never include medical waste when discussing low-waste, less plastic, etc. There are some cases where plastic is necessary because alternatives would be unsanitary, unhygienic, etc. A bit on medical waste is for another time. Today we’re going over Plastic-Free July up to now! There are a few things we’re waiting on, and hopefully there won’t be plastic in the packaging, or if there is, it’s minimal.

During the month of July, I tried to limit my acquisition of products with plastic. Now, again, I’m not including medical waste for obvious reasons. I can say that I purchased a travel-friendly titanium spork that came in a wrapped in plastic that was placed in a carrying bag…which was wrapped in, you guessed it, more plastic! That was a bit annoying, but the spork is very durable and less expensive than others; plus, where I live, the plastic is recyclable. I also got the AP tumbler at DCA ($16.15 w/tax), which is plastic, but will get a ton of use since it allows for 99¢ ($1.07 w/tax) refills. And yes, tax is charged for the tumbler and refills. Once I am done with the tumbler (as long as it doesn’t get damaged, I reckon that will be years), it will head off to our local charity shop. The last thing I bought, and received, were some Brach’s Royals. It had been at least 15 years since I last had them– maybe even longer, and I’d been craving them. So, that’s it. I didn’t take (was wasn’t given) any single-use plastics aside from the caramels and what came with the spork. Now, I can also recycle candy bags where I live, but if you can’t then maybe look into Terracycle.

I’ve mentioned Terracycle before. My fiancé hates that you have to pay them to recycle when the waste management company should do it anyway. While some programs are free, more often than not, you have to pay. It can get pricey; however, they take virtually everything. They even have a zero-waste kitchen box! If you’re looking to transition to less-waste-tossing-more-recycling-household, you may want to take a gander at what they have to offer.

There are loads of things we can do daily to help take care of the plastic pollution we have and minimize the future accumulation of trash. Finding biodegradable, yet sturdy, alternatives to plastic would be wonderful. A huge focus is on plastic straws. Do we need them? Most of us don’t, but there are people who do. We’ve seen things made from potatoes, corn, and hemp (but since I’m allergic to hemp, I’d go for one of the others). Before this turns into a huge ramble, if you can avoid taking plasticware then try to, for the next week or so. I’ve ranted before that most single-use plastics aren’t actually single-use. They can be used multiple times, but we often throw them out after one use. Some people prefer single-use plastic bags. If you have the time, take one box and see how long it can really last by washing them out really well–unless you use them for meat/seafood. I don’t want anyone getting sick because of raw meat contamination. You can also make sure that your waste gets into the right bins, double-check on what actually can be recycled in your area, host/volunteer for a beach/lake clean-up, take a lunchbox with you for leftovers…the list goes on. Watch some documentaries as well. You may find that the majority of them are biased, but there is always something to take away from them.

If enough people stop feeding into the market, then we often see change. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m definitely not one of those people who likes to try new things, most of which come in some sort of plastic packaging–I just try to limit that, and take care of the packaging responsibly. I’m also acutely aware that being low-waste is a privilege. Not everyone lives in an area where there are tons of package-free or minimally packaged goods. I’ve also mentioned before that I know my actions won’t make the impact that others in a low-waste community seem to imply. We all have to participate in order to facilitate change.

One of the most effective methods I’ve found is in writing to companies I buy from. Asking about their packaging, whether or not they plan on transitioning to more sustainable alternatives, and being able to create a discussion around variants can lead to permanent modifications. We also have to find a way to encourage people to actually put their waste in bins provided. I’ve seen so many pieces of trash a foot or two away from the bin.

We also have to look outside the box of our own lives. There are great documentaries on waste. Some are plastic-specific and others that discuss trash overall. Waste is a global problem. We need to find a way for resources to be available in all areas of the world. Especially in today’s world, there is no excuse. Okay, so I ended up sidetracking a bit. If you stuck around, thank you so much for reading!

What did you do this #PlasticFreeJuly?

Peace & Love, always.