S5 E10 Plastic Free July

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Plastic Free July had humble beginnings in back in 2011 when Rebecca Prince-Ruiz had the idea of refusing to buy or accept single use plastics for the month of July, just to see if she could.  She asked people around her if they wanted to do it too and now it is a global movement with an estimated 140 million people from 195 countries participating in 2022.

I wanted to Talk to Rebecca, not only because she is amazing, but also because Plastic Free July is truly a grassroots movement that has made a global impact. And I was so curious to hear how it started and how it grew. Rebecca is also overflowing with stories of people making change at all levels of society and business and she happily delves into discussions about balancing personal responsibility with demanding action from corporations and governments and we had some great questions from the audience as well. 

Links:

Plastic Free July

Book: Plastic Free By Rebecca Prince-Ruiz and Joanna Atherford Finn. (Published 2020)

Global plastics treaty

Zero Waste Victoria

BYO Containers

Some other plastic education media pieces:

Climate Town: Plastic Recycling is a scam

DW Planet A: Recycling Myth

The Story of Plastic


This episode was created in 2023 and was created with support from MAINfm and the Community Broadcasting Foundation.


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