I had my first foray into plastic free in 2013 and found it such an empowering challenge that I’ve put my hand up each year since.

“What is Plastic Free July,” I hear you ask.  It was an initiative of a Western Australian council that is now observed in 70 countries. It’s aimed at raising awareness about how much plastic we use and waste during our everyday activities.

For example, did you know that the average time that a plastic carry bag is in use is 15 minutes? 

After that, they either clog up our houses or go off to landfill where they’ll take hundreds of years to break down.

 What a waste, especially when it’s so easy to take your own shopping bags. This is one of the things I’m better at since my first Plastic Free July.

It doesn’t mean you  forgo all plastic all the time. The emphasis is on the top four “baddies” of plastic bags, plastic straws, plastic bottles and plastic coffee cup lids. In my experience the top four are the easiest of plastics to avoid. It does take a bit of commitment and forward thinking, e.g. taking your own coffee cup to the cafe for your morning takeaway.

Plastic is so insidious that nearly any everyday purchase brings us in contact with some form of single use plastic. Early on, as Plastic Free July  novices, my daughters and I bought ourselves milkshakes at a an eatery as a school holiday treat. Without a thought they arrived at the table with plastic straws that we didn’t need and bang, our challenge was compromised. Now we’re in the habit of saying “no straws please”.

I’ve become more aware of when plastic may just turn up and I’ve become braver about requesting no plastic. I’ve found that many retailers are willing to support my quest.

 For example, my dear butcher quite happily fills the Tupperware container that I take for my weekly purchase of meat. He’s said to me that wrapping meat in plastic is a really bad way to store it anyway.

I’m a regular busy working mum and no saint when it comes to consumerism so I shop where and when it’s convenient. Life needs to be as easy as possible but that doesn’t mean that I can’t be environmentally responsible when I shop.

 Just by making sure that I’ve always got reusable shopping bags with me, buying glass alternatives to plastic bottles, and saying “no” to plastic wherever possible, I have changed my consumer habits during July and throughout the year.

It’s not difficult, it’s just a commitment to do it. You can do it too. Just jump onto the Plastic Free July website, sign up for the rest of July and see how you go. Once you become aware of where the plastic is, avoiding it is easier than you think.

l Green tip of the week: You don’t need plastic bags lining the kitchen garbage bin now that your food scraps can be wrapped in newspaper and put straight into council’s green-lid bin.

l Green date for the diary: National Tree Day is on Sunday, July 26 2015