Now Plastic Free July has been and gone, how are we going to say ‘no love to litter’ for the rest of the year?

Fortunately, there are more and more products, businesses and organisations offering fantastic solutions to reduce the amount of plastic we use that ultimately ends up in landfill.

According to recycle.co.nz about 252,000 tonnes of plastic waste is sent to New Zealand landfills each year – that’s massive when you think one bread bag weighs next to nothing. 

Even more worrying is that all this plastic takes up about 20 percent of the space in our landfills and could take between 450 years and 1000 years to breakdown depending on what it’s made of. And we all know about nasty leachate and the impact plastic production and disposal is having on climate change (sad emoji).

So, I was pretty stoked to come across a few gems for Plastic Free July that I’m going to stick with in the months to come. These include:

• baking my own gluten free bread – I’ve finally found a mix that doesn’t taste like cardboard or sawdust and comes in a paper bag. Check out Oh My Goodness at the Matakana Farmers Market or buy online from their Silverdale bakery. 
• organic cleansing sponge, reusable make-up wipes, bamboo cotton buds and floss picks - who knew these could be so satisfying! The sponge is infused with collagen and the crocheted make-up wipes are the same size as the disposable cotton ones. The cotton buds are bamboo with silicone tips (round at one end, pointed at the other) and I’ll never use dental floss again now I’ve discovered bamboo floss picks! If Wholefoods Bin Inn Warkworth is out of stock, I buy online from www.greenelephant.co.nz or www.thewellstore.com.au
• shampoo and conditioner blocks – I started using these before July, but worth a mention. I use two different brands to avoid build up and with a lot of dry, frizzy hair, this is the best shampoo and conditioner I’ve ever used. Check out Bin Inn or local pharmacies
• making my own body butter – very quick and satisfying, and I just love the feel of it. I get my organic supplies and recipes from www.gonative.co.nz
• recycling soft plastic packaging – this has been a bugbear for yonks especially since New Work Warkworth removed their drop off station (New World Orewa is now the nearest unless you live in Leigh where the community set up their own). We do My Food Bag a few days a week to minimise the amount of leftover food being thrown away. For $6.49 MFB provides a courier bag for returning soft plastics for recycling. To say I was shocked at how quickly we filled our first bag is an understatement – I thought we were way better than we actually are! We’ve got our soft plastics down a lot, but there’s still a long way to go. See www.myfoodbag.co.nz
• make-up – primer, foundation, concealer, cheek and eye colour. I am an Aleph Beauty convert! Aleph will colour match from a photo, and their make-up looks and feels gorgeous. Made in NZ, they also have a circular initiative for recycling primer and serum bottles, glass jars and lids, powder compacts and sample shells. See www.alephbeauty.com

One thing I’m struggling with is bamboo toothbrushes – I’ve recently discovered that the bristles on the brand I use don’t decompose – argh! Has anyone got any suggestions?

So Plastic Free July has opened some new doors to me that will help keep my waste to landfill down throughout the year - I’d love to hear your suggestions and recommendations for saying ‘no love to litter’ year-round. Please share your ideas in the comments below.

Take up the challenge - can you go without plastic for the month of July?  Or even for a week or a day?

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Plastic Free July is a global movement - join in and see how much you can reduce single-use plastic waste everyday at home, work, school and even at your local cafe.

Check out the ideas and resources on www.plasticfreejuly.org and share your successes on Mahurangi Wastebusters fb page.

And for the first time ever there's going to be a New Zealand wide launch party!  It’s a chance to connect up with other people around the country who are taking part in the challenge, learn some new tips and tricks to go plastic free and meet Rebecca Prince Ruis the founder of Plastic Free July. Rebecca started the challenge 10 years ago in Perth Australia with 30 friends taking part. Last year in New Zealand over 250,000 people took part in the challenge.
The virtual launch party will be held on Wednesday 24th June from 7pm- 8.30pm using Zoom. We will also be having an awesome line up of NZ presenters

• Hannah and Liam from The Rubbish Trip
• Kate from Waste Free with Kate
• Te Kawa  and Ngaronoa from Para Kore
• Nic from Mainstream Green 
• Anthea from  Remix Plastic 
• Juliet from The Great Eco Journey 
• Coralie from Practically Green 

There will be demonstrations on how to make your own crackers and lip balm + virtual house tours, spot prizes and the chance to connect with hundreds of other people around the country who will also be taking part in the challenge.
Get your free ticket here https://events.humanitix.com/plastic-free-july-launch-party