What is Plastic Free July?

Plastic Free July is a 120 million-person movement that happens in over 177 countries (source), which aims to help people be part of the solution to the plastic pollution problem. The organization provides resources and tips to help!

Basically, you commit to reducing single-use plastic for the month of July, with the idea that you will develop habits that will continue after July is done. 

But what is the big deal about single-use plastic? Why is it important to move away from it as much as possible?

The truth about plastic 

Single-use plastics are not necessarily new, but production massively increased after WWII, and haven’t stopped since. In fact, the growth of plastics production in the past 65 years has substantially outpaced any other manufactured material (source). And while not all plastic is bad, the increase in single-plastic items hasn’t benefited our landfills or environment (and in turn, us).

So what’s the big deal? Many people believe that single-use plastics can just be recycled and made into something “new”. If you have this mindset, you’re not alone. 

However, it isn’t quite that simple. 

The vast majority of plastic does not get recycled. In fact —79 percent— is accumulating in landfills or sloughing off in the natural environment as litter (source). And according to the United Nations, by 2030, our plastic pollution (litter) is set to double. 

A simple solution would be to focus on recycling single-use plastic. However, only 9% of all plastic gets recycled - with a catch. 

Plastic is made up of a number of polymers. And without getting too technical, it’s important to know that each time a piece of plastic gets recycled, the polymer chain grows shorter, decreasing the quality (source). 

Eventually, a piece of plastic will reach a point where the quality is so poor that it is not able to be reused, and is sent to a landfill. 

Once an item reaches the landfill, it slowly breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces - never fully decomposing. Eventually, these small pieces become what’s known as “microplastic”. A future article in this series will focus on microplastics. 

To provide some reference, plastic bags can take 10-20 years to break down, while it can take up to 450 years for other plastic items. 

Let’s put that into context. 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American throws away 4.5 lbs of trash a day. 

In Cook County, the average resident throws away 5.25 lbs of trash a day (Zero Waste Cook County). The higher average is likely due to the influx of tourism throughout the year. 

Boreal Community Media spoke with Kristina Mattson, co-founder of Zero Waste Cook County, about the issue of waste in the area. 

Mattson shared that “Cook County is facing a serious waste crisis and the time to act is now. All of our waste (recycling and trash) is driven 120 miles one way to be managed (the Moccasin Landfill in Superior, WI for waste, and Hartell’s in Proctor, MN for recycling). The landfill we currently use was supposed to close this year but was granted a 4-year extension. In 2026, our waste will be driven even farther away to be dumped, however, no new landfills have been approved.”

And while that 5.25 lbs of trash created by the average person in Cook County each day isn’t all plastic, we know some of it is.

But what’s the most common type of plastic item that we throw away? 

According to research, “plastics’ largest market is packaging, an application whose growth was accelerated by a global shift from reusable to single-use containers” (source). This includes all types of packaging. 

Plastic pollution and the Great Lakes  

There can’t be a conversation about reducing single-use plastic in Cook County for Plastic Free July (and beyond) without talking about the impact on the Great Lakes. 

Those of us who live in or frequent the area have a deep love for the lake, and many want to keep it clean. 

It may be shocking to know that “nearly 10,000 metric tons, or 22 million pounds, of plastic pollution enter the Great Lakes every year, according to researchers at New York’s Rochester Institute of Technology.” Every. Year. 

If we break that down, the Ocean Conservancy Organization says that “the maximum  count of plastic from the Great Lakes surface waters (approximately 1.2 million particles/km) is higher than the maximum count in the North Pacific “Garbage Patch”!”

It may be tempting to want to look and see how Lake Superior compares to the other lakes in terms of plastic pollution, but it doesn’t really matter. 

“Across the Great Lakes region, plastic travels through local watersheds and from beaches into the lakes before flowing with currents downstream, which eventually adds to the ocean pollution problem” (source). 

While the problem may seem daunting, there are many things you can do to help. 

(Source: Zero Waste Cook County)

A common solution to single-use plastic is to “simply recycle”. But as we now know, that’s not an ideal solution. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t try and recycle what we can, but there are other steps we can take before that point. 

In fact, according to Mattson: 

“Recycling is important, however, we tend to gloss over reduce and reuse. We need to push refusal, reduction, and reuse as much as possible, and create local systems and programs to make doing easier. Just recycling more is not the answer.”

Thankfully, groups like Zero Waste Cook County are doing just that by “working with local stakeholders, the county, and our community to bridge waste reduction awareness with action through advocacy, collaboration, and education”. 

There are also many things you can do on your own at home, including:

• Conduct a waste audit which helps you identify exactly the items you’re throwing away often

• Check out the Plastic Free July website which shares ideas and resources for swapping single-use plastic items for reusable ones  

• Reduce plastic packaging waste by buying what you can at local thrift stores 

• Make your own cleaning products (here are a number of recipes)

• Join local buy/sell/trade groups on Facebook and connect with neighbors looking to buy or sell items

• Talk about it: many times we are concerned about an issue, but not really sure how to move forward with it. Sharing your concern, your story, or experience can go a long way in making a difference

• Join a group like Zero Waste Cook County, the Northeast Minnesota Sierra Club chapter, or Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light Cook County chapter (MNIPL) is an interfaith group interested in action to protect clean water, promote the adoption of alternative energies,  encourage climate mitigation, and promote climate justice.

• Check out other environmental organizations in your area like the Cook County Local Energy Project 

Recycling in Cook County

As a last option, make sure that any single-use plastic that inevitably finds its way into your home gets recycled. 

Here are some Cook County-specific resources on recycling:

• Know what you can recycle: Cook County Recycling Center accepted items

• Avoid “wish-cycling”. When in doubt, throw it out

• Watch this Cook County Higher Ed Workshop recording on Recycling in Cook County

• Check out EcoBlue Recycling - a local small business that will pick up recycling for you (within certain distance limits)