Go Plastic Free

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Penrith City Council (02) 4732 7777 (02) 4732 7958 council@penrithcity.nsw.gov.au 601 High St Penrith NSW 2750 Australia

Plastic Free July 2021

Plastic Free July® is recognised globally as an annual month of global change, where individuals, businesses and governments come together to take action to reduce plastic waste. By sharing ideas, positive actions and stories of change, Plastic Free July helps people and organisations “choose to refuse” single-use plastic everyday.

Every small step we take to avoid single-use plastic can make a big difference towards:

  • Protecting the ocean
  • Reducing consumption and production and avoiding landfill waste
  • Reducing human health impacts
  • Connecting communities and driving systemic change

Penrith City Council has committed to reducing plastic through initiatives like our A-Z of Waste and Recycling Guide, Community Recycling Centre, Return and Earn and Penrith City Council's Partnership with RecycleSmart. We are proud to be a Plastic Free Council Challenge member and take great pride in participating in the global initiatives that have seen over three million Australians take up the challenge.

Together, we can all do our part to help end plastic waste and alleviate the recycling crisis, reduce landfill waste, and mitigate the effects of climate change.

Join us in July, or all year round, and opt for reusable or environmentally friendly alternatives to everyday single-use plastic products. Participating in Plastic Free July is a great way to get started in your plastic free journey and make meaningful changes to continue practicing well beyond July.

Ready to reduce your single-use plastics?

With the job to eliminate single-use plastics being a huge undertaking, we know it can feel overwhelming when thinking about how big the job is. To help get you started, we’ve put together some ways to tackle single-use plastics AND the Plastic Free July challenge, one step at a time:

  1. START SMALL
    Even the tiniest of changes add up to make a huge difference when practised every day and by enough people.
  2. CHOOSE A ROOM TO FOCUS ON
    This can help it feel a little less daunting and give you direction when planning your shopping trip or choosing which plastic items to swap out for reusables.
  3. REMEMBER, IT DOESN’T NEED TO LOOK PRETTY!
    Get creative reusing items you already have. You’d be amazed at the things you can do with a simple sauce jar!
  4. BUY LOOSE, FRESH PRODUCE
    Fruit and veg don’t need to be packaged in plastic. Look for loose produce and use your reusable produce bags.
  5. GO BULK
    Buying things like rice, grains and flours in bulk helps minimise packaging. You can even go one step further and purchase from a bulk food store with reusable bulk bags to avoid the packaging all together.
  6. SAY NO TO PLASTIC WRAP
    Store leftover meals or half-used ingredients in silicone pouches, Tupperware or using a reusable covering, such as a silicone bowl cover or beeswax wrap. They’ll keep your food just as fresh as the plastic options, minus the guilty conscience.
  7. SWAP IT OUT
    Swap single-use plastic items for reusables or ones made from alternative, environmentally friendly materials.
  8. CHOOSE CONCENTRATES
    Many common household products such as kitchen spray, bathroom cleaner, dishwashing liquid and personal care items (think shampoo, conditioner and moisturiser) can be purchased in solid, concentrate bars. This allows you to reuse bottles you already have again and again, eliminating the need for plastic packaging all together.
  9. DIY
    Making your own cleaning products is an easy and cheap alternative to plastic packaged options, while also cutting out any harsh chemicals (lemon juice, white vinegar and bi-carb soda are some of our favourite go-tos!).
  10. THINK LONG-TERM
    Choosing more robust alternatives like stainless steel clothing pegs instead of plastic ones might be more expensive to buy at first, but these have a MUCH longer lifespan and will not only save you money in the long run, but will also save all the broken ones adding to our planet’s plastic pollution.

Or, you can choose to ‘GO FOR GOLD!’ and work towards eliminating all single-use plastics for a month. It's popular to form or join a group to take the challenge together. This could be the start of a life-changing experience for you, your family, your colleagues or your local school community.

Sign up to the Plastic Free July challenge

It’s free and simple. All you have to do is sign up to take the challenge on the Plastic Free website and start reducing your plastic use today. Even small changes can make a big difference.
The Plastic Free July challenge provides resources and ideas to help you (and millions of others around the world) reduce single-use plastic waste every day at home, work, school, and even at your local café.

For extra inspiration about reducing single-use plastics in your everyday life: