Local business encourages those to take on the Plastic Free July Challenge

McPhee said there are a lot of different ways to lower plastic use and a lot of them can be smaller simple changes in daily activities. Photo: Tanvi Sharma / Unsplash

A local Nanaimo business is urging everyone to challenge themselves to rethink how much single-use plastic they use in July.

For Paula McPhee, she already lives a plastic-free lifestyle and is passionate about sharing information and support for people to find ways to reduce plastic waste. McPhee is the owner of Vancouver Island Rillery which offers low-plastic and low-waste options for beauty and household items.

McPhee is calling on people to join her in doing the Plastic Free July Challenge to lower the use of single-use plastic for the month.

“We all live on an island, we're really close to the ocean, we have a ton of lakes on the island, and everybody's really connected to nature,” McPhee said. “So everything that we do has a direct impact on the animals that live around us and the wildlife that live around us, and especially in the marine life that lives around us.”

She said the Plastic Free July Challenge is a part of a bigger international challenge through the Plastic Free Foundation which works to cut down the amount of plastic pollution worldwide.

McPhee said it is important for everyone to be conscious of single-use plastic. 

“We have to be really conscious of what we're doing, and by creating this challenge and participating in this challenge, we're getting people to be a little more aware of how their daily actions can actually impact the environment around them,” she said.

She said there are a lot of different ways to lower plastic use and a lot of them can be smaller simple changes in daily activities.

“So if you know that you're going to go out on a hike and it's a hot day, make sure that you bring a reusable water bottle that you can refill when you're not using plastic,” she said. “You can also bring your own utensils if you know you're going to be eating out or you can bring a napkin or anything like that. So always be prepared.”

She said she finds most plastic waste comes from food packing and this can be avoided when people are mindful of plastic consumption when grocery shopping.

“So make sure that you bring your own bags, make sure that you're not using the plastic produce bags. All your produce already has a wrapping right? Your bananas already have a peel on them,” she said. “So you don't need to put them in a plastic bag. When you get home you're washing your produce before you eat it right? So you don't need all those extra plastic bags.” 

She also recommended reusing bottles for cleaning supplies.

“Usually you buy a bottle, it'll last you a month or two, and then you have to buy a new bottle. But if you refill that bottle, that same plastic bottle that will last over 400 years in landfill, you can just keep on reusing it for as long as you want,” McPhee said. “I've had bottles that I've been reusing for over 10 years, and they're still in perfect condition.” 

Reusing bottles for cleaning products is one of the more popular swaps, McPhee said she sees people doing to limit single-use plastics. 

She highlights the popular Mint Cleaning products made in Ucluelet, B.C. as one reason why people have had the switch to less plastic products as Mint Cleaning offers eco-friendly and refillable options for their products.

McPhee said she does recognize sometimes plastic-free items or local items that can be refillable can be more pricer than items with plastic. 

“What I tell everybody is that you can start slow. You don't have to start all at once, that becomes really overwhelming and then you won't do it,” she said. “The best thing that you can do is start with something that doesn't change your habits too much, but can have a big impact.”

She said one example of this could be swapping out purchasing plastic toothbrushes for a bamboo one.

“The cost of the toothbrush is almost exactly the same,” she said. “But you're already making a huge impact because a plastic toothbrush is going to be in the landfill or in our oceans for over 600 years.”

She also added swapping out a plastic razor for a metal one is another great swap.

“So as an investment up front, they're a little more pricey, but you'll never have to buy another razor, and the replacement blades are quite cost-effective,” she said. “So within a year, that razor will pay for itself and then you'll never have to buy another razor again, compared to the plastic razors that you have to buy the cartridges and the cartridges are quite expensive.”

She said there is a social norm to buy things like clothes for cheap to only throw them out after a couple of months once they go out of style.

“So trying to change that mentality and people that are cheap is not necessarily cheap in the long run and that is not necessarily the best for you or for the environment,” she said. “It's a bit of a challenge, but once you start showing people that buying in bulk and buying better quality is actually cheaper in the long run, people start understanding the impact that it's having both in the financial wealth as well as in the health of the planet.”

For people wanting to take on the plastic-free July challenge, McPhee said to start slow and find plastic-free items that can be built into daily habits and lead to a lifestyle with no plastic waste.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.