Take the Plastic-Free July challenge with us!

Around the world, millions of people will be getting ready to jump on the Plastic Free July challenge to play their part in creating a world without plastic waste. 

Many find that making changes and creating new habits to reduce their plastic waste helps our planet and saves money.

The Plastic-Free July challenge is simple: Do your best to refuse all single-use plastic during July.

The main objective of Plastic Free July is to help stimulate people to create new habits around avoiding single-use plastics in their day to day activities during July.

It not only supports their wellbeing but also contributes to making a difference for our planet.

Why Plastic Free?

It is estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the world's oceans. Much of this waste comes from what was once a non-reusable water bottle or a non-reusable coffee cup.

While most people are aware and concerned about the impact of single-use plastics, it is unfortunately growing and has become a significant concern across communities.

Research conducted by the Plastic Free Foundation in September 2020 found that 92% of Australians supported action to reduce plastic waste, increasing from the previous year.

Despite these high level of concern, Australians currently generate 59kg of single-use plastic waste per year. 

Where is all this plastic being used?

- Approximately 1 million Australian households primarily drink bottled water at home, resulting in hundreds of millions of single-use plastic bottles being consumed and discarded every year. 

- Other single-use plastic items used include plastic packaged food and beverage items such as disposable coffee cups, plastic straws, takeaway packaging and utensils.

This is where Plastic Free July becomes more critical. It acts as a motivator and supports people to be part of the solution to plastic pollution that being part of the problem.

They can do this by turning concern into action and through sharing plastic-free solutions and resources across communities.

How do we help?

Australia as a nation together has made a good start by changing some of the ingrown habits by remembering to take reusable shopping bags and using reusable containers to store food in the fridge to avoid plastic wrap. 

And it's time to take a few more bold steps to avoid plastic bottled water and disposable coffee cups along with saying 'No' to plastic straws and pre-packed produce.

By choosing to refuse single-use bottled water by switching to filtered tap water using water filters bottles like 321Water and remembering a reusable drink bottle and coffee cup when ever you go out is a great way to make a difference and reduce plastic waste. 

According to research, over 16 million Australians are concerned about plastic waste. They are invited to join over 300 million people taking action- the link will open in a new window worldwide by choosing to refuse one or more single-use plastic items this July. 

How are we supporting this challenge?

Uppercup and 321Water will support more Australians to take on the challenge and discover new ways of enjoying coffee on the go and water at home without waste.

During this Plastic Free month, we are fully committed to supporting anyone and everyone as much as we can, from those deciding for the first time deciding to refuse their takeaway cups or water bottles to those who are committed to trying a zero-waste lifestyle.  

While the lockdown has created unique challenges and a new way of living for many of us, we feel there's no better time than now to be fully committed to this project.

It just requires us to take one step at a time, and all of us can make a huge impact. 

If you'd like to participate in this year's challenge but don't know where to start, try our five tips for a Successful Plastic Free July.

1. Refuse single-use coffee cups, and remember to take your reusable coffee cup with you always.

2. Refuse plastic water bottles and use a filtered water bottle at home and on the go.

3. Refuse single-use coffee trays - use a reusable coffee carry tray. Our favourite is Stay Tray. Stay Tray is Aussie-made, B Corporation Certified and female-led by Kate Stewart. To read more about the great work they do click here. We use ours daily on the morning coffee run.

4. Remember to take a reusable shopping bag with you when you go grocery shopping.

5. Take a reusable food container and utensils when getting take out and say No to the disposable food containers and utensils.

6. Say no to plastic straws - Most of us can ditch the straws permanently unless a medical condition dictates otherwise.

If you do take the Plastic Free July challenge with a friend or partner, we guarantee that not only will you have fun, you will also enjoy—and benefit from—the support of other like-minded people.

We guarantee these tips will get you hooked for sure. Many have said that going reusable only is addictive and self-rewarding on so many levels.

It is essential to make sure that you do your best and don't beat yourself if you fall short. Just keep trying. It's called a challenge for a reason. However, cutting the non-reusable plastics is easier than most people realise.

Please share your ideas with us on the Plastic Free July challenge on our Facebook and Instagram pages.