Plastic Free July: 31 tips on how to avoid plastic

It's Plastic Free July! But you still don't know exactly how to (further) reduce your plastic consumption? We're happy to help you and give you 31 tips to declare war on plastic and at the same time develop a positive mindset. Whether it's in your food and drink, in your wardrobe or for your plastic-free bathroom: let this month inspire you for the whole year!

Why Plastic Free July?

It is currently estimated that by 2050 the amount of plastic waste in our oceans will exceed the mass of all the fish in the world's oceans. The less plastic packaging and materials we use in everyday life, the less plastic will end up in our seas.

It all began in 2011 in Perth, Australia, where Rebecca Prince-Ruiz founded a Facebook campaign with around 40 supporters. In nine years, her movement has now reached around 177 countries. More than 200 million people took part in Plastic Free July 2019.

As part of the challenge, anyone can take part in Plastic Free July. Officially, the start is, as the name suggests, in July. But of course you can start such a challenge for yourself at any time. You can officially register via the homepage Plastic Free July or you can just join in. The aim of the challenge is to save as much plastic as possible in July (and hopefully afterwards too).

Maybe you've been wanting to live a more plastic-free life for a long time, but you didn't know where to start? Great, then the following tips will definitely give you inspiration. Important: It is not about to implement everything perfectly at once and buy everything new immediately! Just pick out a few tips that you can implement well and with fun. Step by step. 

Food and Drink

• Goodbye plastic wrap: Beeswax cloths replace foil and bread paper and look great doing it. This way you can keep food fresh for a long time and in an environmentally friendly way. By the way, there will soon be chic Bracenet beeswax cloths together with gaia .

• One sustainable takeaway for your lunch break, please! Next time, just take your own reusable container and have the food put in there. Our experience shows that this is always possible without any problems. (However, current hygiene regulations may stipulate otherwise)

• Wait and see? Unfortunately, drinking tea not always plastic-free. In fact, many tea bags contain a heat-resistant plastic called polypropylene. This means that large amounts of microplastics from these tea bags end up directly in your tea drink. So be careful when buying tea, either buy loose tea or look for completely biodegradable bags when buying.

• Coffee capsules made of aluminum or plastic? That doesn't have to be the case, because that not only creates a lot of waste, but is also unhealthy for your body. An excellent way to save money, your body and the environment despite having a capsule coffee machine is to reusable coffee capsules , for example made of stainless steel.

• Serve your drink sustainably! Quickly go to the gas station and buy ice cubes wrapped in plastic? Why not try homemade ice cubes made from a stainless steel mold. Practical, cheaper and you can enjoy your drink ice cold without feeling guilty.

• Grow your own herbs: whether in a pot on the windowsill, on the balcony or in your own garden. Your own herb garden saves a lot of plastic and brings a lot of joy because you can watch it grow.

• A really simple tip to buy vegetables and fruit plastic-free is to simply use your own reusable bags to take with you. Don't have a suitable one yet? Then stay tuned, because we are currently in the process of producing a Bracenet shopping net.

Less Plastic in the Bathroom

• Instead of using shampoo in plastic packaging, try Solid shampoo . You can now buy it almost anywhere without (plastic) packaging. Our tip: get your hair used to solid shampoo first before trying solid hair soap.

• One item that is easy to replace and that you probably use every day is your Hairbrush. Hairbrushes made from natural materials are not only better for the environment, but also for hair and scalp than plastic brushes.

• Microplastics and liquid plastic: You may have heard that microplastics are found in some care products. Another problem is liquid plastic, which is added by some manufacturers. The app CodeCheck tells you immediately whether plastic is hidden in your products.

• Say goodbye to makeup wipes in plastic packaging! Washable makeup removal pads are the solution. Buy once or sew/upcycle yourself and use for the rest of your life. What if that isn't sustainable?

• You've probably heard that you can replace your plastic toothbrush with a bamboo toothbrush. But what about toothpaste? There are now lots of alternatives. Next time, go for it Toothpaste tablets, tooth powder or toothpaste in a glass jar . The sustainable alternatives usually last longer than toothpaste from a plastic tube.

• Byebye body hair: Conventional razors are mostly made of plastic and quickly end up in the trash. Try a safety razor Add to that a piece of plastic-free shaving soap and you create practically no waste.

• Another important topic that is talked about far too little: period products! Tampons, sanitary pads and panty liners are disposable products that generate huge amounts of waste. menstrual cup is a sustainable and healthier alternative to pads and tampons.

mindset

• Get active and speak up! There are so many things you can do. Sign petitions, take part in demonstrations, sign up for a beach or city cleanup. You will notice that it feels good to be an active part of the change.

• Together Not only do you achieve a greater impact, it's also much more fun together! Talk to your friends. Who wants to do the Plastic Free July Challenge with you?

• Do you sometimes take on too much and would like to do everything at once? Relax! It is completely normal to feel overwhelmed and powerless sometimes. Then it is important to keep reminding yourself that every step, no matter how small, counts and that it is a process. We will tell you why this is so important here again in more detail.

• Get a detailed overview of the garbage you produce every day. Often we don't know exactly how many bags of rubbish we are responsible for per week or per month. Try to analyse your rubbish carefully. Where does most of the rubbish come from? What is the best way to start to reduce it?

• Have you ever been really annoyed when you bought something that was packaged in a lot of unnecessary plastic? Talk about it! Many companies are ready to make changes and take customer feedback to heart. Download the app ReplacePlastic down. With this app, you scan the barcodes of products to automatically inform the manufacturers that you want plastic-free packaging.

• Do you really need this? And if so, do you really need to buy it again? To avoid unnecessary consumption, you can get into the habit of questioning your purchasing decisions in advance and reducing impulse purchases. Maybe you can borrow the product from friends or family. Sharing is caring!

Wardrobe

• There are now many great fashion labels that produce fairly and sustainably and often without plastic packaging But you still don’t want to miss out on other fashion items? Then see if you can Second Hand You can always find trendy fashion on Kleiderkreisel or Ebay classifieds. This saves new resources and packaging.

• Not only the packaging of fashion can be made of plastic, but also the composition of the clothing itself. A large part of our trousers, T-shirts, shirts and sweaters are made of Plastic fibers such as polyester, nylon or polyacrylic With every wash cycle, tiny plastic particles - called microplastics - are washed into our wastewater. Our tip: avoid synthetic fibers!

Get informed

• Bio-plastic is not a solution: This term is neither precisely defined nor protected. It is often used to describe plastic made from corn starch or another natural raw material. After use, bioplastics usually end up in the residual waste. They are sorted out again in organic waste because they take too long to decompose in the composting plant. In terms of its ecological balance, bioplastic is therefore no better than conventional plastic and is not a more environmentally friendly alternative. So: bioplastic remains plastic. the BUND recommends continuing to avoid plastic as much as possible, regardless of whether it is organic or not. Where plastic is difficult to avoid, the most sensible option at the moment is recycled plastic.

• Better avoid black plastic: Shower gels, fine cosmetics, but also bowls for meat or vegetables: all of these products are increasingly being offered in black plastics. Unfortunately, sorting the different plastics does not work with black or deep dark blue packaging. These are not recognized by the sensors and therefore end up not recycled , but are burned as sorting residue.

• Use social media to keep yourself informed. There are many Influencers (or Sinnfluencers, Ecofluencers, Greenfluencers) who provide you with critical information on sustainable topics and tips.

Miscellaneous

• Did you know that the Tire wear (mainly) from cars is considered one of the main causes of microplastics? So, leave the car at home more often and explore the world with more environmentally friendly alternatives.

• Out of ideas for gifts? Next time, make a wish or give a gift of donations to an environmental organization. At Ghost Diving or Healthy Seas For example, you are directly supporting marine conservation and prevention as well as the recovery of ghost nets. It makes sense, is plastic-free and is fun!

• Plastic pacifiers for your baby are a thing of the past. Luckily, there are also some made from non-toxic and allergy-free natural rubber!

• Please no advertising: Advertising in the mailbox generates several thousand tons of paper and plastic waste every year. A small sticker on your mailbox has a big impact. You can then easily read about the latest offers in the supermarket online.

• Again promotional gifts made of plastic received as a gift at a trade fair? Simply politely decline and point out that you want environmentally friendly alternatives. 

• Whether Dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, cleaning products or deodorant : The World Wide Web is full of DIY instructions for plastic-free alternatives. So grab your friends and make your product yourself. This makes cleaning up afterwards much more fun!

Those were 31 tips for your Plastic Free July! There are lots of alternatives at Naturalou a plastic-free online shop. We are excited to see what we can all achieve together. Your Bracenet is also ideal as a daily reminder around your wrist for plastic-free decisions.

Do you have feedback, questions or other interesting tips? Please share them!