July is right around the corner and for those familiar with the zero-waste space, you know what that means: Plastic-free July!
Plastic-free July is actually a movement that was founded in 2001 and has gained a lot of traction since!
They’re an amazing organization and I wanted to help bring attention to them and to the plastic crisis we’re currently facing.
No familiar with the plastic crisis? Here are a few facts you should know:
- About 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been created since the 1950s. Of which, only about 9% has been properly recycled. The rest of it is either burned or ends up in our landfills.
- First world countries like the US and Canada export their waste to countries like Asian and Africa where it pollutes their lands, soil, and water supply. Birth defects have been known to occur from these pollutants.
- About one truckload of plastic enters the ocean every single minute.
- Over 700 million marine species have been impacted by plastic pollution. Getting caught and entangled in it, ingesting it, and being killed by it.
- There are 5 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean which is enough to circle the earth about 400 times.
There is no denying that this is a HUGE problem that is impacting and destroying our planet. Every plastic straw, take away container, plastic bag, single-use cutlery, etc. ends up in our oceans and landfills because they aren’t recyclable.
It’s time to do something about it.
I’ve made my own little challenge with daily prompts and action steps for each day or July to help you cut back on your plastic waste in a BIG way!
Things might look a little different this year due to COVID, but you can save this list for the future, well past this July.
You can opt-in down below and get the challenge sent straight to your inbox!
Plastic-Free July Challenge!
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