Plastic free July is a global movement that encourages people to be part of the solution to plastic pollution by providing resources and ideas to help millions reduce single use plastic waste in their lives. 100 plus million participants have taken part in 190 countries worldwide, taking steps to move away from using single use plastics in July and beyond.

Why is it worth reducing plastic in your life?

In recent years consumers have been told that they need to alter their consumption habits to solve environmental crises but this is hard to do when plastic is so ubiquitous in our lives. However, there are many good reasons to reduce the amount of plastic in your life, both single use and otherwise, including the fact that some plastics contain toxic chemicals that harm human health and the environment.  

What’s in plastic?

A wide range of harmful chemicals are used not only to manufacture plastic but are added to it as well, including bisphenol A, (BPA), and phthalates, chemicals known to disrupt the human hormone system and have been linked to forms of cancer such as breast cancer. These can be released during the production, use and disposal of plastic, entering the environment or the human body.

Chemicals we are exposed to from plastic add onto the many harmful chemicals we come into contact with in our daily lives: from air pollution to toxic pesticides in food and harmful chemicals in cosmetics and other consumer products. Decades of research have demonstrated that combined exposure to several chemicals can result in toxic cocktail effects, therefore it is important to reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals wherever we can, including from plastic.

Read more tips on our website on how to avoid harmful chemicals in plastic, especially those that come into contact with our food.

Read more and get involved in Plastic Free July.

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