Plastic-Free July 2022

Join the millions of people reducing their plastic waste. Plastic-Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans and beautiful communities.

Why? “Industrial pollution and the discarding of plastic waste must be tackled for the sake of all life in the ocean.” – Sir David Attenborough

How does plastic waste affect me? "it’s in all of us and we can’t escape consuming plastics.” – Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International.

Why should I take a stand on single-use plastic? “It cannot be right to manufacture billions of objects that are used for a matter of minutes, and then are with us for centuries”  – Roz Savage, English ocean rower, environmental advocate, writer and speaker.

Can’t all my plastics be recycled? The UK only has capacity to recycle 60% of the plastics in our green bins. The other 40% is incinerated, goes to landfill, or is sent abroad to countries with poor waste management facilities.

Still unsure? Plastics are expected to become the biggest consumer of fossil fuels as we reduce our dependency on fossil fuels for transportation.

It is time to write a new story. Did you know that if William Shakespeare had owned a plastic toothbrush then the toothbrush would still be here today?

William Shakespeare has gone. But today, you hold the pen. In fact, you can hold it more firmly now than ever before. We will write a story together about how we made a difference in our homes that we can proudly tell our grandchildren.

So what do I have to do now? Attached is a calendar with lots of ideas. On the back is your Plastic Free July Checklist. Write down some of the actions you are going to take in nice big writing. Take a photo and share it with your connections on social media and your friends.

Where can I get more help? We will help you on your plastic free journey by publishing lots of posts on Facebook and Instagram about giving up single use plastic or come to the Viables Craft Centre for a chat.

Don’t forget to sign up at plasticfreejuly.org