International Plastic Bag Free Day

On the 3rd of July, think twice before picking up a new plastic bag at the shops because it is International Plastic Bag Free Day!

Bag Free World created this unofficial holiday as a “global initiative that aims to eliminate the use of single-use plastic bags”. The holiday promotes environmentalism and helps to bring awareness to the growing issue of plastic polluting our Earth, on both land and in the oceans. 

Plastic bags take hundreds of years to degrade and are, on average, only used from a few minutes to a couple of days at most. 

Here are some of the ways you can celebrate the holiday.

Fabric, Reusable Bags

Purchasing and using a fabric and reusable bag will not only cut down your plastic waste hugely but will also prevent you having the inconvenience of having to purchase a new plastic bag every time that you want to buy something only to have it rip two minutes later as it is not strong enough to hold the weight of your groceries. 

Check Where You Shop

As shopping online has become more and more popular we have less control over what our items are delivered to us in. The majority of businesses use plastic mail bags that may be good for containing your items but are clogging up our oceans. Therefore, a great idea is to check how the business delivers its products before purchasing, plastic is not the only option. 

One great alternative to plastic mailers are compostable ones, this means the bag will degrade easily in 180 days or less. 

Stand4 Socks offer this method of delivery and were the first sock company to use 100% home compostable mail bags. This is also a good indicator that the business holds environmentalism at their core and so is a much more ethical choice.

Volunteer

Volunteering with local groups that help to clean up our environment makes a huge difference. 

Collecting even a small amount of litter from your local area and disposing of it properly and safely ensures a safer environment for wildlife and more pleasant scenery for you. 

Recycle

Remember to recycle all your rubbish properly where it can be. Most packaging comes with instructions as to where and how it can be recycled if it can be, make sure to read this information before disposing of your plastics so it can be dealt with properly. 

Also try to avoid plastics with labels that state they cannot be recycled as this is the type that ends up in our oceans and landfill for hundreds of years. 

Plastic in our oceans makes up for around 80% of all marine litter and you can help to reduce this. By recognising and celebrating this holiday that may at first seem silly and menial, you can make a real difference. It is easy to make simple substitutes when they are as readily available and accessible as they are today.