How to have a plastic-free July

This month is Plastic Free July, a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution. Here, Vicki Harris of From Suffolk With Love explains why it was important for her planet conscious gift boxes to be free of plastic – and her own approach to the month

From its conception, one of the core principles of From Suffolk With Love was that all of the products in my gift boxes would be plastic free. I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t contributing to the already huge mountain of plastic waste that the planet is drowning in! So Plastic Free July is definitely an initiative I can get behind. This year the organisation talks about turning the tide on plastic waste one change at a time and I think the brilliant thing about it is that there are loads of great ideas for saving plastic waste, reusing it, or avoiding it altogether.

Not only does the Plastic Free July page have a daily calendar of suggestions for swaps over the month but lots of other planet friendly accounts on social media have suggestions too, including me! So, if you want some ideas of where to start, look at those resources and pick the things that look the easiest for you. These will be the best ones for you to make the change for good.

For me, Plastic Free July is not about going fully plastic free all at once, but trying some ideas, seeing what works for you and making that permanent and sustainable change. You could try finding your local refill store and taking your washing up liquid to be filled up, along with some empty butter tubs to fill with pasta or rice. Or why not try looking on Vinted or eBay for a pre-loved pair of shorts for your summer holidays instead of buying new?

Remember, the best thing to do to help the planet’s plastic problem is to buy less of it in the first place, use what you already have before buying new, and once something is totally worn-out make the next purchase plastic free! Reducing consumption is by far the best thing we can do for our planet.

And if you do want to buy a gift for that special someone why not make it plastic free and full of lovely things, handmade locally in Suffolk by some amazing small businesses? Head to fromsuffolkwithlove.co.uk for some excellent plastic free gift ideas!