Going plastic-free for a month may seem like a daunting task, but Plastic Free Launceston’s Trish Haeusler says you can start small.
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While Haeusler was cutting out plastic completely, she encouraged people to make a pledge to limit the amount of plastic they use.
It could be as simple as using a keep cup instead of getting a disposable cup or making a citrus and vinegar cleaner, she said.
The Plastic Free July movement started in Western Australia in 2011, but it had since become a global event with more than a million people jumping on board, Hauesler said.
“Try and say no to plastic … your grandma lived without plastic bags.”
Plastic Free Launceston had a information stall at Harvest Market to show people alternatives to buying plastic products, from bamboo toothbrushes to getting refills at bulk food stores.
The community support for the movement had been fantastic, particular
More than 80 per cent, 195, of people who undertook The Examiner’s poll about reducing plastic use said they had already jumped on-board or would be keen to cut their plastic use for July.
When Plastic Free Launceston’s Tori Haeusler first tried Plastic Free July, it was in Buenos Aires in Argentina.
She would go the local delis and find the servers were dumbfounded by her request, often giving her a plastic bag despite her insistence she didn’t need one.
Eventually one of the deli servers stopped giving her plastic bags and asked if Ms Haeusler was “trying to save the world”.
People often said they were only one person who could not make a difference, but Haeusler said if more people started reducing their plastic use and encouraging others to try, it could help change behaviour over time.
Tess Brunton
I recently returned from across the ditch where I worked at New Zealand Fairfax paper The Timaru Herald and developed a love of mountains. Originally I'm a mainlander from an area known for cheese, the Bega Valley, who also dabbled in radio at ABC RCAFF before finding a place in newspapers. I can often be found hiking, caving or climbing when I'm not cursing at my work computer or technology in general.
I recently returned from across the ditch where I worked at New Zealand Fairfax paper The Timaru Herald and developed a love of mountains. Originally I'm a mainlander from an area known for cheese, the Bega Valley, who also dabbled in radio at ABC RCAFF before finding a place in newspapers. I can often be found hiking, caving or climbing when I'm not cursing at my work computer or technology in general.
