Plastic-Free July

Taking care of our planet is so important in this day in age. Doing something as simple as thinking about where the products you use end up can make a real difference. Using fewer products that contain plastic and other environmentally harmful materials and chemicals can help clean up our planet bit by bit. Plastic has a lifespan of a thousand years, meaning that the products you use for a few minutes daily will probably outlive us all.

Not only are we hurting ourselves, but plastic has been attributed to 1.1 million bird and animal deaths every year. Our actions that we might see as minuscule end up hurting every living organism on this planet. Regardless of these heartbreaking facts, it can be hard to make the switch to a healthier lifestyle for our planet because plastic is so ingrained in society due to its cheap price tag. Despite this, you can start living plastic-free slowly but surely with the guide we have written below!

1. Start with the Obvious Offenders!

The easiest way to cut this harmful material out of your life is to switch the plastic products in plain sight for reusable ones. These include plastic water bottles, plastic shopping bags, straws, plastic utensils, and plastic containers. Because these products are obvious plastic products that cause our planet harm, there are now many alternatives for them. This makes it easy to cut them out of your life! A simple way to cut plastic out of your morning is to use Leaner Creamer’s coffee creamer stored in a reusable glass container, rather than the big plastic jugs of our competitors.

2. Use a Reusable Coffee Cup!

Instead of using a single-use cup, buy a reusable coffee cup! Although many believe that these cups are recyclable because they are “paper” products, the inside lining contains plastic, making it ineligible for the recycling process. There are over half a trillion single-use coffee cups produced every year, meaning that this product that you use for only a handful of minutes every day will plague our planet in mass amounts for centuries.

3. Switch to Plastic-Free Laundry Detergents!

One of the biggest contributors to our over-flowing landfills is hiding right in front of you! Most people do not take a second glance when buying the big plastic jugs of laundry detergent from the supermarket because we are so used to using this product. However, these products are some of the worst as over 1 billion plastic laundry detergent jugs are discarded annually by the American people. Switching to soap flakes, laundry powder, or soap nuts (does not actually contain nuts) can help lessen the load of plastic found in our landfills!

4. Switch to Shampoo and Conditioner Bars!

Just like plastic laundry detergent jugs, bottles of shampoo and conditioner are used by hundreds of millions of Americans every year. This leads to a staggering number of plastic bottles entering our landfills every year. Reduce the amount of waste Americans make and switch over to shampoo and conditioner bars that will leave your hair feeling silky and your mind guilt-free.

5. Remember Why You Are Doing This!

Living plastic-free can be extremely difficult, especially in the first few months, but the key to sticking to this lifestyle is to remember why you started in the first place. Recall the dangers plastic have on ours and the planets overall health. Remember that your minuscule actions can help generations to come live in a cleaner world.

 Let us know how you have made changes for plastic-free July in the comments below!