We Kiwis put 1.76 billion plastic containers in our recycling and rubbish each year. Plastic Free July is an annual initiative designed to help us reduce our reliance on plastics.

When Plastic Free July began in Western Australia in 2011, only 40 people signed up to the challenge. Last year over 250 million people in 177 countries took part.

The challenge is to refuse single-use plastics during the month of July – things like soft drink bottles, sushi containers, biscuit trays, cling wrap, plastic produce bags.

In finding alternatives, the Plastic Free Foundation hopes participants will develop habits that will stick.

International surveys have shown the collective impact of Plastic Free July is significant.

Participants contribute to a total saving of 825 million kilograms of plastic waste per year, and approximately 90 percent of participants have made changes which became habits.

Apart from the small amount of plastic which has been incinerated, every piece of plastic ever produced still exists somewhere on earth.

If we look at plastic packaging in New Zealand, a Waste Management Institute New Zealand (WasteMINZ) national audit of 867 household recycling and rubbish bins revealed the average Kiwi uses 37 kilograms of plastic containers every year.

Almost 40 percent of this is not recycled and goes straight to landfill.

Their research found drinks were a big part of the problem. The average Kiwi household uses 188 single-use drink bottles per year.

Refusing single use plastics during July can range from taking a refillable water bottle with you instead of buying plastic single-use bottles of water, to not using single-use produce bags in supermarkets.

At the other extreme, you could go all out for a month and attempt to eliminate all new plastic coming into your home.

Professor of Engineering at AUT Professor Thomas Neitzert, said in a statement to media last year that in most cases, we have ready alternatives to plastic packaging available to us, including metals, glass and textiles.

“If consumers refuse plastics and switch to alternatives, then certain industries are on the back foot to explain the safety of their products,” Thomas said.

“This is one way to achieve product stewardship."

The average Kiwi household uses 188 single use drink bottles per year. Will you refill instead?

When asked about the confusing options of bio-based, biodegradable, degradable and compostable plastics, Chief Executive of WasteMINZ Paul Evans said his main advice to people was simple: no single-use option is a good choice.

"There may be some which lessen the environmental effect to some degree - but ultimately they all have an impact,” he said.

“First and foremost people need to consider how they can reduce their consumption and then use reusable products wherever they can.”

"As much as we need to get better guidance on the materials we use, we actually need to change our behaviour and make better choices."

During the month of July, The Central App will highlight some of the issues around reducing the use of single-use plastic packaging, and take a look at practical alternatives.

If you have a hot tip you think would help others reduce their plastic consumption, email Mary at [email protected]