What did you give up, this Plastic Free July? It's the end of July and maybe you've reduced your plastic consumption. Maybe you've learnt a few new strategies, or learnt that you can do without certain items. Maybe you're glad it's the end of July – maybe you're not. However you're feeling right now, it's time to think about the next steps in your plastic-free journey.

For Individuals

How did you, as an individual, contribute to the fight against plastic this month? Did you give up plastic completely for a month? Did you simply reduce it a little? Whatever difference you made to your lifestyle, it was worth it. So what now? You could go back to your old lifestyle before Plastic Free July, and pretend this past month never happened. Or you could learn from it, maybe take a few lessons away, and put them into your everyday life. Try to keep taking your reusable cup out with you, or keep shopping at that bulk store. Find time to prep your own meals instead of buying takeaway. Whatever it is, you've made a difference in the past month – let's keep making a difference every day.

For Businesses

How did your business reduce your plastic consumption for a month? Did you get customer support in your plastic free month? Did you succeed in reducing your biggest source of packaging? Were more customers bringing their own containers for takeaway? How did customers like your compostable packaging? So what now? Will you return to your old way of doing business, or will you try to make a difference into the future? Perhaps you could keep your signs up, encouraging customers to bring their own cups and containers. You could continue to source produce from packaging-free sources, or continue to purchase compostable cups instead of plastic. Whatever you choose to do, you can make a difference.  

Find out about Plastic Free July here. Read about Queensland's possible single-use plastics ban and how to reduce coffee cups sent to landfill, on our blog.

Planet Friendly Packaging acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we work. Our thoughts go out to everyone affected by COVID-19. Stay safe.