Plastic Free July

Plastic Free July is a key initiative of the Plastic Free Foundation which is working toward a world free of plastic waste. From humble beginnings in 2011, the award-winning Plastic Free July campaign is the result of years of hard work. Read the 2025 Impact Report for more details. 

WHY PLASTIC FREE?

Most plastic is made from fossil fuels. The fossil fuel industry is counting on increasing plastic production to keep itself going and growing.

Plastic production facilities are often sited in low-income communities and places where people of color live and are affected by the air and water pollution these facilites produce. 

Plastic production is directly linked to the climate crisis. 

Most plastic is discarded and degrades into smaller and smaller pieces in our land, air, and water where living creatures ingest it It never fully goes away; the pieces just get smaller and smaller.

Microplastics have been found in human placentas, umbilical blood, semen, breast milk, plankton, and agricultural crops.

Plastic is full of chemicals that are or may be hazardous to human and animal health.

Plastic pollution in oceans kills and maims thousands of fish, birds, and mammals every year.

Single use plastic foodware is one of the most common forms of plastic waste that ends up clogging waterways, leaching toxic chemicals into habitats, and creating hazards for wildlife.

Plastic food containers, packaging and wrappers may contain PFAS along with hormone disruptors and other chemicals hazardous to health.

 Bottled water is more likely than not to contain microplastics. The type of plastic used for bottled water may leach harmful chemicals, especially if stored in hot conditions or for long periods. 

Many canned products, including beverages, have plastic liners that may leach chemicals and/or microplastics into the products they surround.

Clothing made from plastic, including supposedly "green" options made from "recycled" bottles, shed millions of microplastics into our waterways every time they are laundered.  

Other household items made from "recycled" plastic, from carpets to utensils, can also shed or leach chemicals and particles into our bodies, food and air. 

Schemes to deal with plastic waste like "waste-to-energy" facilities or "chemical" recycling require fossil fuels to operate and result in toxic waste. Burning plastic to generate electricity is the same as burning fossil fuels. Emissions drive global heating.

HOW?

We are so surrounded by plastic it's impossible to completely remove it from out lives. And some use, like for medical equipment and supplies, would be almost impossible to replace. But there's plenty of plastic that we can choose to refuse, like single use foodware, textiles, household products. Start with the PLASTIC FREE PLEDGE, where you choose one single-use item to give up for one month. Then, check the many guides and websites for going further, like

• Plastic Free Guides from the Plastic Pollution Coalition 
• Room-by-room guide for going plastic free from the Sierra Club 
• Life Without Plastic Quick Start Guide 
• Viroqua Plastic Free

WHAT NEXT?

You can't unsee it. Once you know, you have to tell others. Share information and resources. Show videos. Host discussions. Recommend books. Encourage others, including your school, workplace, shopping spots, grocery stores, and community groups, to make better choices and offer plastic-free options. Help events go plastic-free or plastic-lite by offering to contribute reusable utensils or non-toxic, plastic free, compostible foodware. Don't stop.