Plastic Free July: Small Changes, Big Impact

Our world is full of plastic. We use plastic for everything from wrapping our food in it to wearing clothing made from it. The problem with plastic is both that creating it involves using fossil fuels and when we send it to landfill sites, it takes hundreds of years for it to decompose. A single use plastic water bottle takes 450 years to decompose when it goes into landfill. When plastic waste gets into the ocean it breaks down into exceedingly small particles which fish and other marine creatures digest. There are places in the ocean where, due to the ocean currents, vast islands of plastic have appeared.

We can all make a difference by reducing our use of plastics in our everyday lives. Here are a few suggestions of some changes you could make:

🛍️ Use reusable shopping bags and beeswax wraps instead of plastic bags and cling film.

💧 Refill your own water bottle at refill stations instead of buying bottled water.

🥕 Choose loose fruit and vegetables rather than pre-packaged produce.

🧼 Try laundry sheets or multi-purpose cleaning tablets in reusable bottles.

🧴 Switch to soap and shampoo bars instead of plastic bottles.

👕 Buy clothes made from natural or recycled fibres like wool or bamboo.

☕ Bring a reusable cup to church and to cafés or choose places that use real crockery—like St George’s Café!

Together, we can reduce the mountain of plastic God’s world is struggling to bear. Let’s honour creation by making thoughtful choices—even one small change matters.