I have been inspired to participate in Plastic-Free July this year.
What started with some light research on the topic, soon led to me hurriedly deciding to clean up my blog to document my thoughts. Let me just say, I have found myself down quite a big rabbit hole.
The idea started while I was decluttering our office space at home in early June. I stumbled across a book titled 'Waste Not' by Erin Rhoads, and it immediately took me back to when I used to be vegan and was researching how to minimise my impact on our planet.
I was sifting through some pages, when I came across Plastic Free July, and thought hey? What great timing... why not give it a crack?
I first picked up the book back in 2017 when the topic of zero-waste was all the rage. Admittedly, I grew overwhelmed at the mammoth task and threw the zero-waste lifestyle in the 'too hard' basket.
But while re-reading the intro to Erin's book, it was made clear that she was around 6 years into her lifestyle then, which has now made me feel less discouraged to participate now.
I even messaged Erin on LinkedIn, and with the power of social media, she replied letting me know that she was flattered that I complimented her book years later. I took this as a sign to go at the challenge full steam ahead.
I also stand by her DIY deodorant recipe, as well as several other nifty DIYs which can save you a lot of money in the long run.
Before I delve into my plan, let me give a little testament to this deodorant.
I have always been hysterically bad at DIYs that involve any sort of chemistry. Just this year in January, I think I created a noxious mustard-like gas in my failed attempt to melt all my fragrant wax melts together.
However, I did take a crack at making this DIY deodorant years ago. Not only was it one of the most effective deodorants I had owned (dare I say ever?), strangely it never expired either. While I was impressed at its longevity, I did eventually toss it, but it just goes to show how a few cents worth of ingredients went a really long way.
Now, while there are no official 'rules' on how to participate in Plastic-Free July (see the official website here), I need to somehow set some boundaries for myself before I end up spiralling.
Here are my rules:
1. Try and find plastic-free alternatives to as many things as I can.
Now, this is where the rabbit-holing began. I wanted to make a point here that starting out with a zero-waste lifestyle isn't always cheap.
There is one YouTuber
named
Shelbizleee who makes a brilliant point that you should use what you have instead of throwing everything away to start afresh. It doesn't make sense to toss all the plastic sandwich containers you currently have just to replace them with glass or metal containers. I'm a firm believer in using what you have until it becomes unrepairable or just plain gross.
So while this aspect of starting to be more plastic-free is cost-efficient, if you were to replace everything you owned with a plastic-free alternative then of course it would be costly. My goal is not to become plastic-free, it is to minimise single-use plastics as much as I can.
I can proudly say that I currently implement some plastic-free habits, and I can bet that you already have some accidental habits too. It can be as small as not liking coffee, therefore never consuming takeaway cups. For me, I made the switch years ago to eco-friendly menstrual products and I have not looked back as it has worked amazingly for me.
Upon researching, I was lucky enough to stumble across a Plastic-Free July starter box on
GoForZero for 40%, which features some zero-waste essentials, including beeswax wrap which I have never tried before!
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Super excited to try these kitchen and personal care products out
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While it does feel a little counter-productive to spend my money on more new things in the world, I strictly wanted to give some skincare and haircare products a go for sharing/educational purposes - and to try and make the switch from their plastic counterparts.
There is a trend now on TikTok called 'underconsumption' where users flex on how far they can take their consumer goods; often to very dramatic lengths. I am hoping that this isn't just a micro-trend because it is genuinely intriguing to me to see how people go against fast-fashion and over-consumption of goods.
Another point I wanted to make is that there are quite a few brands that sell things that are accidentally 'plastic-free'. By this I mean that the product isn't marketed to be 'plastic-free', yet only includes either aluminum or glass which can be recycled.
A recent example of this being
Bonne Maman's chocolate hazelnut spread which is packaged in a glass jar with a metal lid. PLUS it is palm-oil free which solves my ethical dillema with Nutella. I actually received this as a complimentary gift as part of my wine subscription with Good Pair Days (boujee I know...), so it was a happy accidental discovery.
I can go on and on about how I am trying to avoid plastic, so for now I will save all that discourse for my future posts.
But to summarise, I am also looking for plastic-free alternatives for:
- Ballpoint pens
- Bin liners
- Chewing gum
- Snacks (such as chips, and sweet treats)
- Toothpaste & other dental products
With that all being said, I also want to...
2. Be honest with the plastic-free alternatives I find.
Not every product will work for every person. But I won't lie, I have encountered some duds in my time.
I have always struggled particularly with finding a decent solid hair conditioner, as well as a solid body lotion bar. I have dry skin, so maybe I am a bit more picky than your average person, so I have set out this month to find a plastic-free alternative that works for me.
A plastic-free alternative can tick all the sustainability boxes, but when it comes to practicality this isn't always the case. I have a personal vendetta against paper grocery bags, and since its re-introduction in Victoria I have seen countless people have their paper bag handles collapse, spilling all their groceries on the floor.
Even though one of my reusable bags is made from plastic, I can easily fold it away and it will last me for years.
Another dud I experienced was eco-floss. I did mention before that I want to try out some plastic-free dental products, but I remember particularly this floss being very thick and mimicking that feeling of nails against a chalkboard *shudders*.
3. Find where I can recycle things in my local council.
In Victoria, we now have a bottle deposit scheme, finally! Although I will admit, it does feel like a chore and there is always a busy line at my local deposit facility. It does bring a smile on my dial that the initiative is working - although I have seen quite a few people knock down and trash neighbours' bins in the process...
I won't lie, I am not happy with my council at the moment. We are notoriously known for having heat islands and desperately need more tree coverage in our area. There have been some sad attempts at revegetation, only with non-native plants that have since all died.
I find I can recycle e-waste more efficiently at Officeworks than through my council. I also currently recycle my batteries at ALDI instead of jumping through loop-holes with my councils very confusing website.
4. Start some upcycling projects.
Australia has a shockingly high fast fashion rate - so I want to do my part to try and keep as much out of landfill as possible.
I always donate my clothes if no friends or family are interested in my hand-me-downs. I also like to sew as a hobby, so I have held onto some precious materials for some upcycling projects.
Out of habit, I have always collected glass jars, as you just never know when they will come in handy. A long time ago I upcycled a jar into a spare-change jar. Because it was glass, it encouraged me to keep saving, which may also mean I am a glass-half-empty type of person ;)
5. Be honest - and document my experiences.
As someone who isn't usually plastic-free, I am almost bound to have little hiccups here or there. What I want to gain from this challenge is to see just how much plastic I come across in my day-to-day life, and how challenging this challenge will be.
I also wanted to add that since the invention of plastic, there have been some really good life-saving innovations. E.g. plumbing, medicine, etc.
I also recommend the following book if you want to learn more about the history of plastic and how it has affected our planet, but also how it has brought convenience and life-saving effects:
- Plastic: A Toxic Love Story by Susan Freinkel; Amazon link
In Summary...
I want to be as transparent as I can this month so that I can hopefully provide some insight into how easy or hard it was for me to try and be more plastic-free this month.
If I come across any discoveries, I will be sure to document them. But for now...
Thanks for reading!
Amanda
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