Your Easy Guide to Plastic Free July

Whether you’re completely new to reducing plastic or just looking to do a little better this month, Plastic Free July is the perfect time to check in, try something new, and build a habit that sticks. After all, it only takes 30 days to form one.

So, what is Plastic Free July?

Plastic Free July is a global movement and challenge that inspires millions of people to refuse single-use plastic throughout the month of July — and ideally beyond. It started back in 2011 in Western Australia with just 40 households. Now, it reaches over 100 million people across 190+ countries. Not bad for a small idea with big impact.

You can take the official challenge at Plastic Free July, and choose to go plastic-free for a day, a week, or the whole month. Whatever your commitment, it counts.

This July marks five years of Zilch (yep, it’s our birthday too — so July is kind of a big deal around here). Since day one, we’ve been committed to reducing single-use plastic in our daily routines, and over the years you could say we’ve learnt a lot on the subject. So, read on for some easy steps and tips to help you get started.

Step 1: Build awareness

Start with a quick audit — your bin, your bathroom cabinet, your shopping trolley. You might be surprised how much plastic sneaks in. But don’t worry, that awareness is where the magic begins. Once you spot the culprits, it’s easier to make a plan.

If you grab a takeaway coffee each day, that’s 365 cups you could save from landfill every year with one simple swap. Imagine the impact if we all did it — even just for July. In Australia, around 50,000 cups are binned every 30 minutes, and 90% can’t be recycled because of the plastic lining, so it’s a small change that could make a big difference.

Step 2: Start small

Don’t try to overhaul your whole life in a week (been there, failed that). Instead, pick one or two areas to focus on and go from there.

The goal isn’t to be perfect. It’s about progress.

"We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions doing it imperfectly." – Anne-Marie Bonneau

Step 3: Set yourself up for success

• Get your family, partner or flatmates on board so you’re all accountable and in this together!
• Work out why reducing plastic matters to you — having a clear reason can help keep you motivated. If it's a team effort, start with something they care about too. Connecting it to their values makes it easier for everyone to get on board.
• Keep your reusables (bags, cutlery, cups) somewhere handy — the car, front door, your handbag.
• Make a list of plastic-free alternatives before you shop, think about your biggest culprits that you uncovered in step 1.
• Try going to a local farmers market or refill store.

Tiny tips, big impact

Throughout the month, I’ll be sharing ideas across six key areas on Instagram — simple, actionable tips that have become second nature in our house;

On-the-go – putting new habits on auto pilot.

Shopping – how to avoid those pesky soft plastics.

Kitchen – food storage and simple snacking.

Takeout – choose better packaging or make eating in fun.

Recycling – what to do with those unavoidable plastics.

Travelling – ways to reduce waste when you're away from home.

Step 5: Try simple swaps with big impact

If you’re keen to jump straight in, here are a few of my fave plastic-free swaps:

Shampoo With a Purpose bar – replaces SIX plastic bottles of shampoo and conditioner.

Konjac sponge – replaces cleanser, exfoliator and makeup wipes in one.

Refillable hand soap – why pay for 80% water and the added carbon footprint? Refills are lighter, purer and come in a home compostable sachet.

Tinted Lip Zinc in a cardboard tube – protect, moisturise and tint without the plastic.

You can feel confident shopping at Zilch knowing that every product we stock is 100% plastic free (even the shipping) and meets our strict criteria: vegan, cruelty-free, toxin-free, palm oil-free, ethically made, home compostable, and made by Aussie brands doing good. No greenwashing. No Bullshit. Just simple swaps with big impact.

Want more ideas? Head over to Instagram where I’ll be sharing my favourite plastic-free swaps and why I think they are so good! 

Step 6: What about the tricky stuff?

Let's be honest, it's almost impossible to completely avoid plastic, but disposing of those tricky items the best we can makes all the difference.

Try keeping a bag in a cupboard for anything that slips through during the month. Then sort through it to make sure it gets recycled if it can. Lot's of hard to recycle items can actually be recycled, just not through your kerb side recycling (stay tuned for a blog about this!).

Soft plastics are now being collected again at selected Woolworths. For harder-to-recycle items, services like RecycleSmart will pick them up from your door. You can also check Recycling Near You to find local drop-off points for tricky or larger items.

Step 7: Keep going

You’re here, so that’s already a great start. Hopefully you’ll find some easy tips or swaps this month that become habits you carry beyond July. Because every small change adds up, and when we all make them together, that’s when real impact happens.

So, let's ditch, switch & repeat!