5 Plastic-Free Tips for Leaders
Plastic Free awareness month has started and we know that you, guys, are doing the right thing already. You drink coffee from a reusable cup, you put shopping in your own bag instead of a single-use plastic one so telling you these basics would be just bringing sand to the beach. But the month of plastic free life has started and everyone should join so if this is you, we’re talking about, it’s time for level 2.
Try something from our PlasticFreeJuly guide for advanced.
Inspire
Visit your favourite take-away and ask the staff to start accepting byo containers. It works, we’ve seen places that are already doing it. Not only bulk foods shops can encourage this trend. Every place that lives from take-away distributes also a huge amount of plastic containers, cutlery, wrappings and other waste. Unfortunately, there is often more waste than the food itself.
Organise
Initiate a beach scavenger hunt with a group of friends. Pick your favourite or nearest beach and collect all rubbish you find there. You probably won’t be surprised that most of it will be plastic waste. If there is no beach, go to a park. And after you’ve such a great job, don’t forget to reward yourselves with a deserved picnic or a barbecue.
Encourage
Give high five to people who are already doing the right thing. When you see someone buying a coffee in a reusable cup, say thank you. Appreciate every shop assistant who doesn’t automatically start putting your shopping in a plastic bag but asks first. Promote businesses avoiding unnecessary use of plastic.
Lead
Organise a reusable coffee cup cafe crawl. Take a bunch of friends who have a reusable cup (no-matter the brand) and visit your favourite cafes in your area. Appreciate the staff if they offer a discount for byo cups and then take a nice walk. People are not blind and the more guys see you, the better. Once the majority of people enter a cafe with a reusable cup, getting a plastic one will be off the norm and hence undesirable.
Share
Document your activities and share it on social media. Photos work the best and it’s the easiest and cheapest way to reach out to people you otherwise wouldn’t have met. Give a positive review to a place thinking about the people and our planet, not just the money they make.
Find more inspiring ideas on how to avoid plastic here: http://www.plasticfreejuly.org/living-plastic-free.html