25+ Plastic-Free July Ideas To Try This Summer

In need of some Plastic-Free July ideas? Here are over 25 ideas to help you cut plastic in your own home, and also encourage wider change to make plastic-free living more accessible.

Plastic-Free July is right around the corner, and if you are taking part then it’s great to have you on board. Despite global campaigns on plastic usage, the amount of plastic that has ended up in our seas has grown and is set to grow even more. We need action now to help decrease plastic in our seas, and efforts like Plastic-Free July are much needed.

What Is Plastic-Free July Exactly?

Plastic-Free July is a month-long campaign, led by the Plastic Free Foundation, an independent not-for-profit charity. The charity’s vision is that of a world free of plastic waste. As such, the campaign encourages people to try to reduce their reliance on plastic where they can.

The challenge started in Australia over 13 years ago. Since its inception in 2011, the challenge has inspired over 100 million people in 190 countries to take part and cut their single-use plastic usage.

The onus isn’t just on personal plastic usage. The Plastic-Free July campaign provides a great opportunity to ask businesses, such as supermarkets, what they are doing to reduce pointless single-use plastic packaging to encourage year-round change.

Plastic-Free July Ideas

I have amassed a few useful ideas over the years that may be helpful to you. But before you start, remember that Plastic-Free July isn’t all or nothing.

Don’t feel like because you have to buy items with plastic in them that you’ve failed. The world isn’t set up for plastic-free living to be the norm, and not everyone has the same ability, access or capacity. In short – do what you can and don’t stress what you can’t do.

As Anne-Marie Bonneau says: “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero-waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly”.

This means the goal isn’t for you to do all of these things. Rather it’s to pick which is accessible to you and to try out a few ideas to reduce plastic in your life where you can. Try picking one of the following areas and trying out one or two ideas. Alternatively, keep scrolling to read the full guide.

• Steps To A Plastic-Free Kitchen
• Embracing Plastic-Free Health & Beauty
• Zero-Waste Cleaning
• General Plastic-Free Living

Steps To A Plastic-Free Kitchen

Going plastic-free in the kitchen is possibly one of the trickiest areas and certainly not one that I have fully figured out yet. This is partly due to a combination of the lack of zero-waste shops in my local area and other factors such as cost and time. However, there are some things I have figured out!

Food storage is a great area to get started. Don’t bin any functional Tupperware thought. Instead, when it breaks try my tried and tested eco-friendly alternatives to cling film that I’ve been using for decades. You can also make your own beeswax food wraps quickly and easily.

When it comes to doing dishes, I still haven’t found out how to make my own washing-up liquid or dishwasher tablets that work effectively. The ingredients required just aren’t commercially available. However, I have found the best eco-friendly and plastic-free dishwasher detergent – including the detergents to be wary of. Some dishwasher detergents – even those that position themselves as eco-friendly – may contain microplastic.

Speaking of microplastic, your teabags might contain plastic. Here are the plastic-free teabag brands to give that hidden plastic the heave-ho this July.

If you’d rather make your own tea, then here’s how to dry mint leaves for tea. And here’s how to make your own lemon balm tea, if you have a little spare time. I find it quite relaxing and really fulfilling to make my own tea. Plus, I can generally make enough in July to keep me going right through the winter!

Whilst on the tea theme – I use a Hydro Flask for coffee or tea on the go, to avoid disposable cups. I’m still using it years later. Here’s my full Hydro Flask review if you are on the lookout for a reusable cup.

When it comes to food, as I mentioned, I’m still figuring this out. However, I have figured out plastic-free snacks. What can I say, I have two kids! You also can still have your crisps and eat them with this seriously tasty zero-waste crisps recipe.

You can also skip the bagged salad – here’s how to grow snow pea shoots indoors for the princely sum of 13p. Here’s also how to regrow vegetables from scraps. This is a fun activity for kids to take part in, but also a cheap and satisfying way to avoid produce that comes in bags.

Embracing Plastic-Free Health & Beauty

I have found that going plastic-free in the bathroom is a long-term process. It’s certainly not something you can overhaul in a month if you are sustainably replacing used-up products with plastic-free ones. However, I have some tips to help get you started during Plastic-Free July.

When it comes to showering and bathing, Moral Fibres readers have recommended their best solid shampoo bars. It’s worth a read if you’ve been previously disappointed with the performance of your shampoo bar – there are some real gems in there. And if shampoo bars aren’t for you, here are some refillable shampoo options. You can also try my guide to zero-waste conditioner.

When it comes to the shower, I’m a fan of using a soap bar. Here are some of the best sustainable soaps available. And if you prefer the bath, here’s my guide to plastic-free bubble bath.

For skincare, my guide to plastic-free moisturiser is a good place to start. As well as that, I’ve put together a big guide to plastic-free make-up. And when it comes to make-up removal, here’s how to make reusable cotton wool pads. With this, you can say bye-bye to disposable wipes or single-use cotton wool pads! You can also try my plastic-free make-up remover tips if you’re not feeling so crafty.

Looking to swap your loo roll for something plastic-free? Try my tried and tested guide to plastic-free toilet paper – particularly if you’re confused about bamboo versus recycled toilet roll.

If you are a person who has periods, I’ve got a big guide on how to have an eco-friendly period. It looks at all the different options available and weighs up the pros and cons of each.

And finally, here’s my guide to microplastic-free sunscreen, should the sun make an appearance this month!

Zero-Waste Cleaning

The cupboard under my kitchen sink used to groan under the weight of all the different plastic bottles I had to tackle different household cleaning concerns. Then I started using natural alternatives, and I was off. I gradually used up what we had, and slowly found a way to make my own cleaning products.

I have so much content on cleaning. What, can I say, it’s a speciality of mine. I’ve managed to condense it all into this guide on natural cleaning products to DIY.

If the idea of making your own cleaning products isn’t appealing to you, don’t worry. Instead, try these just-add-water cleaning products, for a zero-waste clean.

General Plastic-Free Living

Finally, for general plastic-free living, I’ve amassed tons of useful pointers over the years:

• If you are pregnant or have small children, and considering cloth nappies, then try my guide on how to use reusable nappies. I promise they’re not as scary, difficult, or yucky as you might think!
• Plastic pops up everywhere. Here are some surprising items that contain plastic. Chewing gum anyone?
• Try these sustainable alternatives to glitter to help beat microplastic pollution.
• Here’s how to reuse plastic bags that come into your home, so you can give any existing plastic a new lease of life.
• And finally, here are my top tips on how to stop junk mail – that barrage of unwanted plastic that comes through our doors every day.

Ways To Campaign For Wider Action On Plastic

Of course, individual action is only one way to enact change. To bring about change faster, we have to lobby manufacturers and policymakers.

Several organisations and charities are making it easy to take collective action against manufacturers and policymakers. Earth Day, for example, is lobbying for a 60% reduction of all fossil fuel-based plastic production by 2040. You can add your name to the petition – so far there are almost 25,000 signatories.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace is calling on the UK government to fix our plastic crisis in a way that doesn’t harm people – or the planet. In particular, this is in response to plastic from UK households being dumped in other countries as we aren’t able to cope with the extent of our plastic waste in the UK. You can add your voice to this campaign here.

However, I can’t stress how important it is to be mindful of campaigns around plastic. Calls to outright ban certain plastic products are not helpful and can be discriminatory. Disabled people often rely on plastic items, such as straws, plastic-wrapped baby wipes, or prepared vegetables in plastic bags. It’s therefore important to foster inclusiveness in our messaging.

Are you taking part in Plastic-Free July? If so, do share with Moral Fibres readers your top plastic-free tips, what hurdles you’ve encountered, or any other useful advice!