July is known as “Plastic Free July”. This means throughout the month of July people across the world are either cutting back or cutting out single-use plastics in their everyday life to reduce the amount of plastic entering the environment.
Here are some ways you can participate in Plastic Free July according to the Alliance for the Great Lakes:
- Refuse single-use plastic items and encourage the use of reusable and refillable items such as using a refillable water bottle, utilizing reusable bags at the grocery store, opting for reusable containers instead of a plastic bag for food storage, and many other options.
- Recycle the plastic that you do have to use
- Help your community reduce their plastic use. Letting people know of water bottle fill up stations in the area, recognizing local establishments that have banned single-use plastic and polystyrene foam for cups and food containers.
- Join a cleanup! Join us during our Clean Your Streams 365 events held throughout the year. Or take initiative to do a plastic clean-up whether it’s along the banks of waterways, in local parks, along the highway, or even in your own backyard.
You can also take the Plastic Free July challenge by the Plastic Free Foundation. You can sign up here and document your findings and stories that over 100 million participants worldwide have come together to share during their own cleanup efforts.