NOV 6 : Global Refill Day to Stop Plastic Pollution
Stop Plastic Pollution TODAY, November 6, JOIN the Global Refill Day
(original article written for Greenpeace International, read here)
We finally know the solutions to the plastic pollution crisis: The #ReuseRevolution is here.
We see the pollution. We know it's because of the endless plastic packaging. We feel a complete lack of options. Instead of continuing to just accept the single-use plastics that are given to us by businesses we support, people all over the world are creating new systems around refillable and reusable containers. We can support these beneficial systems EVERY DAY by bringing our own containers which will help normalise reuse and refill culture.
TAKE ACTION
Now that we know how consumer society could and will function without single-use throwaway plastic packaging, we need big companies to focus on setting up these refillable & reusable systems at scale. We need to show big companies the world is moving toward reuse with or without them. It is time to come together and show that a small act, multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.
SIGN Greenpeace’s Petition calling for the world’s biggest plastic polluters to invest in reuse and end the age of plastic!
Join Global Refill Day to participate in creating these new systems AND to help normalise bringing our own containers. The more people around us who see this behaviour, the more normal it will become. BRING YOUR OWN.
The plan is simple: let’s all take a reusable container to a supermarket, cafe, or restaurant. Ask that they fill your reusable with whatever you are buying rather than using a throwaway container. Take a photo before and after you asked to show if your container was filled or not. Share the photos on social media using #ReuseRevolution and #BreakFreeFromPlastic and be sure to tag the company praising or shaming (and also tag @greenpeace and @plasticfreemermaid so we can share)!
This is a key moment for change. Please join #ReuseRevolution and inspire your people to join Global Refill Day to stop your personal contribution to plastic pollution, help build new social norms, and push companies toward refillable solutions to the plastic pollution crisis.
Show off your cup, glass jar, bento box or metal tiffin, and cutlery that help you avoid single-use plastics and humbly explain to others without shaming or blaming. The more that people see reusable items, the more normal they will be, the easier it will be to push companies to manufacture less plastic crap and more refillable, reusables. The more normal we make reusables, the faster we can pass large-scale systemic change that will turn off the fast-flowing tap of plastics currently dumping all over our one, majestic planet.
Read more about GLOBAL REFILL DAY in this blog I wrote for Greenpeace International.
BREAK FREE FROM PLASTIC
If Global Refill Day has you feeling inspired and you want to do more, be sure to check out the Break Free From Plastic Global Week of Action page for even more ways to take action with our allies this November. Just this past month, Break Free From Plastic engaged more than 70,000 volunteers in 51 countries to conduct 484 brand audits that identified Coca Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Mondelez International, and Unilever as the top plastics polluters.
We’re not letting these companies off the hook or trusting their false solutions. Join Global Refill Day and help lead the way toward the future we want.
INNOVATION
Thousands of people internationally are leading the charge to ditch single-use plastic for good. There are private and public initiatives to implement reusable systems! From incredible technological innovations in 'smart' reusable packaging that calculate weight and cost to “old school” milkmen delivering cow & plant milk by bicycle, from refill stations to zero waste cities, and even rock stars like U2 committing to refill (thanks Plastic Pollution Coalition!)--the energy shift away from throwaway culture is rising!
(Comment below if you are interested in learning more about these innovations and if so, any particular subject you would like me to investigate!)
Kate Nelson has been living disposable plastic-free for more than 10 years. You can follow her on IG at @PlasticFreeMermaid and read her blog at iquitplastics.com/blog