Give Earth a chance. 

It’s July, not just any old month but Plastic Free July! The perfect opportunity to look into the way that you’re consuming and see if there’s anything you can do to reduce the amount of waste you’re creating and help out the planet.

Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution. Us humans have got some bad habits, creating over two billion tonnes of waste worldwide annually, with a lot of that not managed correctly! That means waste is ending up in our forests, in our streams and rivers, in the ocean, it is harming the natural ecosystems and killing wildlife.

Whether you are an eco warrior who has managed to almost completely cut waste or are just beginning your journey in reducing waste, every action you take helps. We have a few simple tips here to help you kick start, or step up your, Plastic Free July! 

1. Ditch the bottle for the bar. The good old trusty bar of soap does the job perfectly. You can even get shampoo, conditioner, body wash and cleanser bars too, significantly cutting back the number of single use bottles you use.

2. Refill where you can. Flour, rice, pasta, detergent, nuts - the list goes on. A lot of our everyday staples for food and cleaners can be refilled at your local bulk food store.

3. Ditch the single use coffee cups and water bottles and go reusable. There are lots of great options for reusable coffee cups and water bottles, if you don’t want to invest in purchasing new a mug or jar repurposed is just as good. It’s an easy switch that’ll make that morning cup or coffee a little greener!

4. Choose bamboo! Did you know that every plastic toothbrush you’ve ever had still exists. Scary right! Next time you need a new toothbrush choose a bamboo one.

5. Another quick bamboo switch – your dish brush. Need a new one, go bamboo!

6. Always have a reusable bag on hand so you’re never caught short needing a bag when shopping.

7. Invest in a metal safety razor and say goodbye to plastic razors!

8. Tea drinkers, use loose leaf tea instead of tea bags. Tea bags contain plastic, loose leaf tea in a strainer or tea pot is a simple way to cut back on single use plastic.

9. Getting lunch on the run or takeaways? Take your own container and cutlery to avoid needing to use single use plastic ones.

10. Switch out snap lock bags and cling wrap for reusable containers and beeswax wraps.

11. Head to your local second hand store before buying new!

12. Say no to the straw!

13. Celebrate without the balloons and glitter. Both balloons and glitter are plastic and are hard to keep track of. Glitter in particular, because of its size, is especially dangerous for marine life.

14. Make your own! This one is pretty broad and it’s meant to be - whether it’s baking instead of buying food in packaging, making sauces and dressings to avoid the bottles, mixing your own cleaner instead of buying it new in a single use spray bottle - it all helps reduce your waste and it can even save you money.

15. Choose clothing made from natural fibres. A lot of clothing is made from synthetic materials such as polyester, acrylic, lycra, spandex, nylon - which are all essentially plastic. Natural fibres like organic cotton or hemp are better for the environment and aren’t breaking down putting those synthetic fibres into the water when washed. Or if you want to update your wardrobe instead of buying new hit your local second hand store, you never know what goodies will be waiting for you!

16. Go to the supermarket prepared. BYO bags, containers for the deli and fabric or mesh fruit and veggie bags and choose the less packaged option whenever possible.

17. Buy in bulk and divide into smaller reusable containers at home if you need to. Instead of individually wrapped packets of chips or small tubs of yogurt go large! You can split them into smaller reusable containers of fill the kids bento lunchboxes from the larger bag or tub as you need.

18. Before throwing something away think if it could have another use. Do you know someone who may use it? Can it be donated to charity? Can it be repurposed or repaired? If not, what’s the best way to recycle it.

19. Use cloth nappies. Did you know 3.75 million disposable nappies are used each day in Australia and New Zealand alone. Even using a combination of both cloth and disposables can make a huge difference.

20. Need new batteries? Ditch the single use ones and get Pale Blue Rechargeables instead! Just one Pale Blue Battery can replace up to 1000 single use batteries! Shop now.

It can seem overwhelming to try to cut out waste completely. Don’t let it overwhelm you, choose one or two things you can do and start there! 

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.