Plastic free July - a movement inspiring people to reduce the use of plastic over the month and form habits that will hopefully last permanently - is gaining momentum. In fact, 140 million people participated in 2022, reducing their waste by 2.6 million tonnes! Now is the perfect time to pick up new habits to reduce reliance on single-use plastic, especially during the summer season.
As numbers in 2022 showed, the average household in the United Kingdom discards approximately 66 plastic items each week. This amounts to nearly 100 billion plastic packaging items annually in the whole country. Sadly, only a fraction - approximately 12 percent - of plastic packaging in the UK is actually recycled.
Trivium Packaging, a global leader in infinitely recyclable metal packaging solutions, presents five simple ways that everyone can get involved in plastic free July, with top tips from expert Jenny Wassenaar, Chief Sustainability Officer & SVP Global R&D.
1. Shift to sustainable thinking
When thinking about what you can do to stop single-use plastic, the first thing that comes to mind is to reduce or stop purchasing products in single-use plastics. If there is no demand on the market, production will come to a halt. Question the products offered to you and select products in packages that are recyclable or can be used several times. There are many things around the home that can be refilled or reused for the same or alternative functions, instead of buying brand new.
Even products you might not expect are already available with refillable solutions, for example, refillable perfume bottles. Or think more broadly about refilling products of everyday use, such as cleaning products and even edible oils for cooking - it might be a surprise how many things around the home could be refilled. As the 2023 Buying Green Report states, 80% of people expressed interest in buying products in refillable packaging.
2. Switch to infinitely recyclable materials such as metal and glass
Did you know that metal can be recycled forever? Metal packaging solutions have been used for decades, but still, their sustainability credentials are not well understood. Due to the inherent recyclability, the ease to recycle, and the recycling processes available all over the world, metal enjoys very high global recycling rates. And it’s proven that 80% of aluminium ever produced is still in use while plastic can be safely recycled 2-3 times, if at all.
Now, when we enter a summer season, filled with picnics, nights out and festivals - there are great opportunities to make more sustainable packaging choices and share your experiences with your friends, families and loved ones. For example, you can step away from single-use plastic cups and go for alternative materials, such as metal or glass.
3. Join the tin food revolution
Recently, the “tinned fish date night” went viral across social media. This led to a huge wave of people serving up tin-based meals that consisted of tinned food (typically fish) left in the can, with some accoutrements around the edges - creating a delicious and easy meal. This trend shows no signs of slowing with sales of canned seafood rising 10% during 2022, to $2.7 billion.
This demand is being driven by young consumers who are adopting new and more sustainable ways to make meals. Forget fiddly, heavy packages, the tin can has since been reinvented as the ideal solution for many types of food.
Besides the great taste, tinned food means zero plastic waste. Tins are also infinitely recyclable and produce low CO2 emissions.
4. Check your labels
Often in an attempt to recycle an empty pack, we get confused with recycling symbols and unknown rules - could it be recycled, or downcycled, what it is made from? Each country and even each area has its own local rules that can vary. For a better understanding and higher recycling rates, it’s recommended to be aware of local recycling guidelines. Knowing what a symbol means will help to become a more responsible consumer.
5. Managing your plastic consumption
It can seem quite a challenge to change habits in a month and for some products, it’s still hard to switch to non-plastic alternatives. A good thing, to begin with, will be taking notes of the plastic you use every day - water bottles, containers, plastic bags, food packaging.
You could try a four-week challenge, with the aim to reduce your plastic consumption by 50%. This sounds difficult but it is possible:
- Week 1: collect all the plastic you consume in a week, make a picture and deposit the plastics in the correct recycling bin.
- Week 2: repeat the same but since you are now more aware of your actual consumption review what you buy.
- Week 3: is yet again the same process, but this time try to change your habits and find other solutions.
- Week 4: the final sprint to show yourself what you’ve achieved. Sharing with friends and families will inspire others to follow your example.
Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues of today and everyone can help take action. Reducing your plastic consumption this summer season can make a significant impact on our environment. By making small steps we can make big differences.
About Trivium Packaging
Trivium Packaging is a global supplier of infinitely recyclable, metal packaging for the world’s leading brands. Trivium has more than 60 locations worldwide and employs close to 7,500 people with sales of $3.3bn. For more information, visit www.TriviumPackaging.com
About Jenny Wassenaar
Jenny Wassenaar has spent almost 15 years as an experienced executive in business management and sustainability. Prior to joining Trivium, she was Sustainability & Compliance Director at Avery Dennison. Previously, she held various senior positions at Avery Dennison and Shell for almost 10 years. Jenny has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from the University of Twente, the Netherlands.