Plastic Free July

Plastic Free July is an annual global challenge created to raise awareness of the amount of single-use disposable plastic items in our lives and challenges individual citizens to do something about it.

Oak Parkers willing to accept the challenge to avoid single-use plastic in July can visit www.plasticfreejuly.org and sign a pledge to choose what they will give up for the month.

They also agree to urge others in the community and workplace to follow their lead and keep a tally of their successes for an August survey count of the worldwide effort.

The longer-term goal of the challenge is to demonstrate to individuals that if they can reduce their consumption of single-use plastics for a single month, they may realize it would not be that difficult to change their behavior for a lifetime.

The local Plastic Free July effort is two-pronged – get residents to refuse single-use plastics like straws and bags, and get merchants to stop automatically offering them to their customers.

An estimated 22 million pounds of plastic enter the Great Lakes and 19 billion pounds enter the oceans every year. Plastic litter is carried by wind from overfilled garbage cans, dump trucks, landfills and littered streets.

Much of the problem is linked to single-use plastics – the disposable items like plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, soda and water bottles, and food packaging we use once and throw away. These petroleum-based plastic items are not biodegradable and usually go into a landfill where they are buried or get into rivers, lakes and, ultimately, the oceans.

Although plastic will not decompose into a natural substance like soil, it will eventually break down into tiny particles. As it breaks down, toxic chemical additives used to shape and harden the plastic can make their way into our water and food supplies. These toxic chemicals are now being found in our bloodstream and the latest research has connected them to cancer, infertility, birth defects, impaired immunity and many other ailments.

As science seeks solutions to this life-altering situation, individuals can play a role in helping prevent the problem from growing. Simply by making a conscious effort to reduce the reliance on single-use plastics in our everyday lives, we, as individuals, can have an impact on the amount of plastic in our environment. Here are a few tips:

• Stop buying plastic water bottles – Use a stainless steel or glass reusable bottle. Steel and glass are infinitely recyclable with a robust market.
   
• Bring what you need with you – Pack to-go containers to bring to restaurants and leave them in your vehicle or backpack. At first it can be awkward but it actually can become fun with practice and be a great conversation starter.
   
• Keep reusable bags handy – Single-use shopping bags – both paper and plastic – consume enormous amounts of natural resources in their manufacture, create damaging, unsightly pollution when improperly disposed of and add to the administrative costs of a retail business. Keep reusable bags handy when you go shopping. Free bags are available at multiple places in Oak Park, including Village Hall, 123 Madison St., and the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd.
   
• Share your opinion and get involved – Change.org is one of a number of organizations available to people who want to make their voices heard by policy makers. Dozens of petitions are posted concerning plastic pollution and many other important issues. The Plastic Free Challenge does not focus on politics, but personal responsibility and each person’s ability and responsibility to lead by example. Take action and get involved in whatever way suits you the best.

• Program information flyer
• Local pledge

For more information on local environmental programs and initiatives, visit www.oak-park.us/sustainability.