Plastic Free July
Overview
Plastic Free July is a global movement to educate about the issue of plastic pollution, and to inspire people to be part of the solution. Plastic Free July started in Australia and is overseen by Plastic Free Foundation. You can visit their official Plastic Free July website here.
Our goals for this campaign include:
Raise awareness of plastic pollution and the negative impact of the proliferation of plastic in our lives and in our environment
Reduce our consumption and decrease our reliance on single-use plastics
Adopt reusable and eco-friendly alternatives
Inspire others and advocate for change
This is our 5th year participating in this campaign, and this year we have some familiar activities, and a few new ones.
PFJ Event Calendar
Events organized by Waste-Free Dayton, or events we are participating in or supporting.
July 2 - Waste Free Wednesday at Full Circle Brewgarden in Englewood, 6-9 pm. $1 from every full pour donated to WFD. (Facebook event)
July 11 - WFD’s Monthly Coffee Chat at Partial to Pie Bakery, 9:30 am. RSVP to info@wastefreedayton.org.
July 12 - Magic Mini Market at Pink Moon Goods, 12-4 pm. Free Washi Tape Bunting Workshop!
July 15 - Green Umbrella Movie Screening in Cincinnati - How to Poison a Planet
July 18 - WFD Litter Cleanup - join our team at the Clean Sweep of the Great Miami River (register here, indicate Waste-Free Dayton as the group to be assigned with)
July 19 - EV Me Out to the Ballgame at Day Air Ballpark with Drive Electric Dayton, 5-7 pm
July 20 - Plant-based Potluck at Full Circle Brewgarden In Englewood, 4 -6 pm (FB event)
July 20 - National Ice Cream Day
July 31 - Beyond Plastics Webinar, Excellent Alternatives to Plastic Packaging
These events will be added to our website calendar, and more events will be added throughout the month.
Learn
Resources to learn more about plastic pollution and why change is needed.
Plastic Pollution Coalition Facts
Article from Break Free From Plastics: Recycling Won’t Save Us, Plastic Production is the Real Problem
Sustainability Books: our picks for Summer of 2025 are Braiding Sweetgrass, Bringing Nature Home, Drawdown, All We Can Save, and Thicker Than Water
Sustainability Documentaries: Beyond Plastics List, A Plastic Ocean
Act / Inspire Others
Actions you can take and opportunites to come together in community with others.
Take Small Steps like brining your resuable bags wherever you go, along with reusable utensils, water bottles, and travel mugs
Take the Pesky Plastics Quiz
Come to Waste-Free Dayton’s Coffee Chat on July 11th
Pick up trash along the Great Miami River on July 18th. Sign up to volunteer https://www.wastefreedayton.org/events/clean-sweep-of-the-great-miami-river-1
Reduce your exposure to microplastics (Beyond Plastics fact sheet)
Plastic Free July’s 31 Days of Ideas
Support a local ice cream shop on National Ice Cream Day (7/20), and bring your own spoon or choose a cone over a cup
Advocate
Influence systems and policies.
Sign the Global Plastics Treaty petition
Call or Email your Representatives to tell them your position on plastics
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper
Plastic Free July Bingo
We are not putting out a Plastic Free July calendar this month like we have done in past years. Instead, we encourage you to participate in our Plastic Free July Bingo Challenge. Complete at least one traditional straight-line bingo and then submit the card to us by the end of the month to be entered into a drawing. A cover-all bingo card will earn an extra giveaway entry. There are 4 different cards available, all with the same activities but arranged differently to allow you to compete with friends and family.
To save the bingo cards to your phone or computer, click on a card or the link underneath, which will open the image in a new window. Then you can right click to save the image. Use any photo editing app to mark off the boxes you complete.
Waste-Free Dayton’s Plastic Free July Pledge
By filling out this form, you are committing to reducing your use of single-use plastics. By providing your email address, we will only communicate with you about Plastic Free July, unless you check the box to “sign up for news and updates”. In that case you will be adding to our email newsletter list.
We hope you join us on this journey, and will share your experience with us during the month. Email us or tag us in your social media posts!