Did you know that Americans alone discard over 30 million tons of plastic annually, with only 8% being recycled? Plastic-free July wants to change that.
Indianapolis, like many cities across the nation, faces its share of challenges in tackling plastic pollution. However, small changes in daily habits can lead to significant reductions in plastic waste, benefiting your community and the planet at large.
Rebecca Prince-Ruiz is the founder and executive director of Plastic-Free July, a global movement that encourages people to reduce plastic waste.
“The foundation’s vision is for a world without plastic waste, and we do that by helping people and organizations take action to choose to refuse single-use plastics and find alternatives,” Prince-Ruiz said.
In 2021, the plastic-free July campaign encouraged 140 million participants to reduce their plastic waste. The keyword is reduce, not eliminate. Many people think that plastic-free July is about eliminating plastic waste altogether, but it’s not.
“Because of millions of people around the world are doing plastic-free July, you’re not alone. So you’re doing it together, and you’re part of this bigger change where it’s lots of people making small changes, and we know that adds up to make a big difference,” Prince-Ruiz said.
While plastic-free July has a large impact, small steps taken at home are what truly makes the difference, according to Erica Cirino, community manager for Plastic Pollution Coalition.
“Reuse is a really important principle when you are looking to diminish plastic use in your life,” Cirino said.
Cirino said replacing plastic cups with glass or switching plastic grocery bags to fabric ones are good places to start. Additionally, Cirino recommends encouraging local businesses and school cafeterias to eliminate single-use plastics.
“Young people are the most vulnerable to the chemicals and results of plastic pollution,” Cirino said.
Kelly Geckler, senior program manager at Envita Solutions, an Indiana company that creates waste management solutions, outlined some tips that Hoosiers can follow on a local scale:
- Replace bottled water with a reusable bottle.
- Cooking more meals at home to limit the use of Styrofoam or plastic take-out containers.
- Using reusable utensils when ordering take-out.
- Saying no to straws.
- Using glass or ceramic containers for leftovers at home.
- Using wood and bamboo cutting boards.
Geckler also recommends buying in bulk. By refilling glass jars or reusable containers at bulk stations, plastic packaging is eliminated.
“Adopting behaviors that reduce plastic use will help Indianapolis be a better place to live, first and foremost by reducing plastic pollution in our natural environment, including on roads, in parks and waterways,” Geckler said.
While many may be overwhelmed at the thought of completley eliminating plastic, Prince-Ruiz wants to ensure that plastic-free July is about what you can do, not what everyone else can do.
“(Plastic-free July) is not about being perfect,” Prince-Ruiz said. “It’s about making small changes … We are all in different places on our journey, and we all have different possibilities and options.”
For more information about plastic-free July and to take the pledge, visit plasticfreejuly.org.
Small ways to make a difference on Global Recycling Day – Indianapolis Recorder
Contact Health & Environmental reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
Hanna Rauworth is the Health & Environmental Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, where she covers topics at the intersection of public health, environmental issues, and community impact. With a commitment to storytelling that informs and empowers, she strives to highlight the challenges and solutions shaping the well-being of Indianapolis residents.
