Single-use plastics are back in the spotlight this year, with federal, state and local governments all taking action on the issue. From the National Plastics Plan, through to single use plastic bans in many states and cities, and even companies, now is the time to get on board. A survey of 1,638 Australians (Thinkfield Research September 2020) showed that 92% of people support policies and actions to reduce plastic waste.
Last year, an estimated 326 million people worldwide took part in Plastic Free July. On average, participants reduced their household waste and recycling by almost 5% (or 21kg).
"I signed up to the challenge with my family, including my two daughters, who were very encouraging throughout the challenge. While we didn't manage to totally eliminate plastics; however, the challenge helped us be more conscious of what was going in our lunchboxes and rethinking how to buy things when doing the regular shop at the grocery store," said Councillor Grant.
By encouraging people to take simple action in their daily lives and habits, Plastic Free July is an established and successful way for people to reduce single-use plastic waste every day at home, work, and school. DRC Council and Netwaste will be supporting residents with activities and online workshops through the month of July and beyond.
"By being proactive in our thinking about plastic waste, we are now more conscious of what we buy from the supermarket. While Plastic Free July only runs for one month, it has ended up creating a long-term habit for me and my family, which is why I encourage others to take part," said Councillor Grant.
There are a number of free workshops available throughout the month of July, and DRC will be updating its website and social media pages frequently, with more workshops continuously added throughout the campaign period.
"Plastic Free July is a perfect way to work on reducing the waste we would otherwise be sending to landfill. We've supported Plastic Free July over the years but in 2021, Council is really stepping up its involvement to bring the community together on the issue of waste reduction," said DRC Manager Resource Recovery and Efficiency John Wisniewski.
To participate (for free), residents simply need to visit https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/take-the-challenge/ and choose to refuse a few single use plastics. There's even a Pesky Plastics Quiz to help you find the right plastics to start your challenge.
To find out what activities are happening in the area, go to dubbo.nsw.gov.au or visit plasticfreejuly.org.
Image credit: Clr David Grant took part in last year's Plastic Free July challenge.
