When Rebecca Prince-Ruiz visited her local waste sorting facility in 2011, she was appalled by the sheer amount of plastic waste. Rebecca challenged herself to limit her plastic consumption for the month of July, and the initiative Plastic Free July was born. Plastic Free July encourages people around the world to make lifestyle changes to limit their plastic consumption. Since the Plastic Free Foundation founded the initiative, Plastic Free July has gained traction and has empowered global action, e.g. they contributed to the Los Angeles International Airport’s ban on single-use plastic water bottles and LEO Africa’s push towards reusables. Although the initiative has had international success, Plastic Free July has always been about individual action. Plastic Free July is about acknowledging the difference you as an individual can make by limiting your plastic consumption in your daily life. This can be as simple as using reusable produce bags, bars of soap, or buying foods in bulk!

Plastic Free July is such an important movement, because plastic is all around us. Plastic lives in our water, fish and other wildlife, and in our bodies. Plastic is a problem here, in Northwest Indiana. After all, the Rochester Institute of Technology estimates that each year over 22 million pounds of plastic go into our Great Lakes. The sheer amount of plastic pollution is particularly alarming, because plastic can take up to five hundred years to decompose. Over decades, plastic breaks into smaller and smaller pieces, into what is referred to as “microplastics,” and microplastics can be harmful to our health. For example, one study found that the presence of microplastics in an individual’s body doubles their risk of developing a heart attack or stroke. Of course, no one alone can solve the problem of plastic pollution, but together if we create a culture of pollution prevention, we can make a difference. In an era, when Hobart and Portage are stopping their curbside recycling program and US courts are blocking the EPA’s ability to regulate so-called “forever plastics,” it can be difficult to see how you can have an impact, but let me remind you that less waste is less waste. The average American generates 487 pounds of plastic each year. Limiting your plastic pollution can keep dozens if not hundreds of pounds of plastic out of our water, our wildlife, and our bodies.