Plastic Free July
Plastic Free July is a Western Australian initiative that’s gained international momentum.
More than 2 million people have opted to ‘choose to refuse’ single use plastic during the month of July each year since 2011.
It means saying no to plastic bags and bottles.
It also means trying to steer clear of other typical plastic-encased grocery purchases such as milk, soft drink, meat, fish and other deli products, yogurt, laundry and beauty items - and instead choosing those sold loose, packaged in cardboard or glass, or available to buy in bulk and transferred directly to your own containers.
You don’t have to be 100% plastic free to take part, just committed to reducing your household’s reliance on single use plastics. It’s a great way to kick-start new habits and begin to understand how much single use plastic you’re really responsible for generating.
Transcript - Plastic Free July
The below text is a transcript of the video "Plastic Free July - it's as easy as this!".
“So you’ve heard about plastic free July and you want to give it a go. A month of living free from single use plastic.” [A man looks up Plastic Free July on his laptop]
“No water bottles, take away coffee cups, plastic bags, plastic straws or any piece of plastic designed to be used once and thrown out. It’s a lot easier than you might think.” [the man holds up a water bottle, followed by a takeaway coffee cup, two plastic bags and finally a soft drink with a plastic straw before throwing a straw, a plastic container and a soft drink bottle over his shoulder towards a green bin]
“The morning run, a time to dust off the cobwebs before facing the world but running makes us thirsty, really thirsty. Planning ahead and carrying a reusable bottle means we can reduce the 300 million single used bottles Australians send to landfill every year.” [The man runs around a lake before stopping to lean on a post panting. A woman runs past him carrying a reusable water bottle and then proceeds to drink from it while the man sits tiredly on the bench drinking the sweat from his headband]
The pre-work coffee, a rite of passage for every Australian, but with over 2.7 million coffee cups being used every day, find an alternative this July. Reusable coffee cups are a much less complicated way to ensure you still get your fix. [The man enters a coffee shop with a variety of alternatives to take away coffee cups - a pink bottle, a helmet and a saucepan and a plastic bucket. At the same time as the woman from the previous scene holding a silver travel mug enters. They leave - the woman holding her coffee mug looking confused while the man drinks from his bucket]
The supermarket trip, shelves of delights at every turn. A shopping bag has a life expectancy of just 5 minutes and we use over 10 million a day. Definitely no place for them on the July menu but there is another way, a simple way that has huge benefits to everyone. Giving up single use plastic is easy. It just requires a little bit of planning before you face the day [The man piles apples on the convenience store counter to purchase, after the transaction he refuses a plastic bag and piles the apple into his shirt which he holds up like a sling. As he leaves he almost bumps into the same woman who is carrying a canvas shopping bag. As the woman leaves she walks past the man dropping apples and he walks down the street]
So whatever you’re doing this July plan ahead and leave the plastic alone [The man and woman are sitting on the bench drinking from keep cups, the man takes the woman’s plastic straw from her and they tip their cups together to say ‘cheers’]
For more information visit the Plastic Free July website.