Many communities and places are opening up. We are visiting our favorite local businesses and shops, and perhaps we are dining out more often. But have you noticed that some businesses are still using single-use throwaway plastic foodware even though data shows reusables are safe during COVID?
Plastic Free July is a perfect time to take action to reduce our collective plastic footprint. We currently produce more than 380 million tons of plastic every year, half of which is made for a single-use.
Did you know that we eat and drink a credit card’s worth of microplastic every week? This is an unsettling thought since hundreds of health-threatening chemicals are found in disposable foodware (paper, plastic, fiber). These chemicals can leach into food and beverages, and have been linked to cancer as well as reproductive and developmental harm.
That's why we are excited to join millions of people around the world to forgo single-use plastic for the entire month of July (and beyond)! Clean Water Action's ReThink Disposable program, which prevents waste before it starts by working with local businesses to minimize single use disposable packaging, is very excited to join other incredible organizations in spearheading our #ReopenWithReuse campaign. Continue reading below to learn two easy ways you can participate!
Commit to a Plastic Free July - Tell the World: Reopen With Reuse
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Sign our petition! Call on businesses, restaurants and events to reopen with nontoxic reuse. Businesses need to know their customers want reusables.
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Join our #PlasticFreeJuly social media challenge. If you visit an establishment or an event using reusables let’s show them some love for being a beacon for all to follow. Snap a photo or selfie and share on social media using the hashtags #PlasticFreeJuly and #ReopenWithReuse. You can also tag a restaurant that you think should make the switch from single-use to reusables.
Without action to reduce consumption, the quantity of plastics production is set to double in the next 20 years. Reusables are the best choice for a triple bottom line - profit, planet, and people.
For Plastic Free July, let’s tell the world. Reopen with Reuse!
A subcommittee of the National Reuse Network (NRN), led by UPSTREAM (NRN Founder), Oceanic Global, Clean Water Fund, and Safer States are teaming up with countless other organizations including Greenpeace, Plastic Pollution Coalition, Break Free From Plastic Pollution, Shedd Aquarium, PlasticScore, and Remark to spearhead the Reopen with Reuse campaign.
