Want to be a part of the 89 million people who reduced plastic waste by more than 500 million pounds last year during Plastic Free July? Read on.
Plastic Free July, founded in 2011, started as a local initiative in Perth, Australia, but quickly gained momentum and became a global phenomenon, with millions of participants from over 190 countries joining each year. The primary goal is to raise awareness about the environmental impact of single-use plastic pollution and inspire people to make sustainable choices in their daily lives. The Plastic-Free WNC task force is asking the community to take the Plastic-Free July Challenge.
Plastics pose a significant challenge because:
• Production continues to rise rapidly, with over 300 million tons (300 billion kilograms) produced annually worldwide.
• Recycling rates remain very low, with only around 10% of plastics ever produced being recycled even once.
• Plastics are extremely durable and persist in the environment for centuries or longer, breaking down into microplastics that pervade ecosystems globally.
• Growing evidence indicates plastics and associated chemicals can have adverse health effects on humans and other life, such as endocrine disruption and potential carcinogenic impacts.
Folks in Asheville are concerned. In a 2023 community survey, 80% of residential respondents were in favor of action to curb single-use plastic waste.
What is the solution?
• Reduce production.
• Production of alternative products.
• Production of products that break down more quickly into safe materials.
• More efficient and widespread recycling.
• Reduce use by businesses: Restaurants, grocery stores, retail merchants, health care providers, etc.
• Reduce use by consumers: Here’s where you come in.
Feeling helpless? Remember the quote from Edward Everett Hale: “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
Reducing your use does not mean that you can’t use any plastics. It means that you use fewer of them, especially single-use plastics.
These include:
• Plastic shopping bags. If you use 10 every time you do your weekly shopping, you’re adding 520 to the environment every year.
• Plastic water and soda bottles.
• Plastic takeout coffee cups.
• Plastic straws.
How to get started? Plastic Free July is going on right now. Take these steps:
• Look into MountainTrue, a nonprofit that champions resilient forests, clean waters and healthy communities in the Southern Blue Ridge. Visit “Plastic Free WNC” on its website.
• Plastic Free Challenge — Get weekly information on small but important changes you can make.
• Pesky Plastics Quiz — Answer questions about your current and planned use of plastics.
• My Challenge Choices — Learn how your choices affect the ocean, landfills and global warming.
• Solutions – Easy and specific ways to reduce your use of single-use plastics. This includes things like reusable shopping bags, reusable water bottles and bringing your own takeout containers.
Now’s the time to commit to reduced plastic use! Take the challenge. Make simple changes in your plastic use. Have a huge impact on the Earth.
— Elissa Klein and Christine Mauck
Arden
— Linda Tatsapaugh
Black Mountain
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