By: Lorenza Zebell, Sustainability Analyst at Rehlko (former Program Director Sustain Dane)
Every July, millions worldwide come together to reduce plastic waste. It’s called Plastic-Free July, and it’s more than just a challenge—it’s a movement for cleaner streets, lakes, oceans, and communities.
Everyone has the power to influence sustainable change locally. The ripple effect of our actions has an impact greater than you realize. Studies show that modeling sustainable behaviors nearly doubles the likelihood of others around you engaging in those behaviors. Positive peer pressure!
This month is a great time to take action, whether you are a zero-waste pro or just curious about the low-waste lifestyle. Let’s dive into what Plastic-Free July is all about, explore 10 impactful ways to get involved, and learn about what is happening at the Co-op.
What Is Plastic-Free July?
Plastic-Free July began in 2011 in Australia and has since become a popular global environmental movement. Organized by the non-profit Plastic Free Foundation, the campaign encourages individuals, businesses, and communities to refuse single-use plastics. By making small, intentional changes, participants help drive systemic change, reduce pollution, and inspire others to join the cause.
But this isn’t about perfection, it’s about progress. Whether you cut out plastic straws or revamp your entire shopping routine, your actions matter. You may have heard about zero waste from Lauren Singer’s jar containing her total trash for four years. Her famous jar sets the bar very high for your average American who produced hundreds of trash bags in that time. Although reducing waste to that level is awesome and a great goal to have, it’s not always a feasible lifestyle for many people. And making these lifestyle changes isn’t available to everyone. Some people use disposable items that are essential to their health, or don’t have the time or resources to facilitate going zero waste.
That is totally ok! It is far more impactful for many people to imperfectly reduce their waste than for a few people to be able to fit their waste into a jar. So, we can use these stories as inspiration and not necessarily a standard to hold ourselves to.
One of my personal commitments this July is to only use compostable bags for my produce at the grocery store and buy unpackaged foods whenever possible. I live in an apartment with no way to compost in my yard, so I use the local Green Box compost pick-up service, and those bags can be composted with the rest of my food scraps!
10 Ways to Participate in Plastic-Free July 
1. Make the pledge
How do you get from good intentions to reduce plastic use to actually taking action? Making the Plastic Free July Pledge is a powerful way to start because committing to something publicly makes your desired actions much more likely to happen. One study shows that 92% of people are more likely to complete something they previously committed to than 53% who didn’t commit. So, sign the pledge today, and tell a friend, family member, co-worker, or neighbor about your commitment!
2. Join Recycle Better July from local nonprofit Sustain Dane and the City of Madison
Have you ever paused at the recycling bin and wondered if what you’re throwing out is actually recyclable, or what will happen to it after it’s picked up? Then Sustain Dane’s award-winning Recycle Better program is made for you. Join the 1,000+ participants and get your recycling questions answered this July. Learn more at https://sustaindane.org/recycle-better-program.
3. Join a local litter clean-up
When trash washes into lakes, rivers, and streams, it harms fish and other aquatic wildlife and makes it difficult to boat, fish, or swim. Take a litter walk or join a local clean-up to pick up your neighborhood to prevent this pollution from reaching our waterways and green spaces.
4. Start with easy swaps
Starting with an easy swap, like remembering your reusable shopping bags, is a great way to build confidence with these actions. Try going a step further:
- Bring your own produce bags or sanitized jars for bulk items. One of the easiest ways to avoid plastic packaging is to buy in bulk. I get bulk grains, beans, nuts, spices, snacks, and more to prevent their plastic counterparts.
- Reuse old containers for leftovers.
- Keep a “low-waste kit” in your car or bag: utensils, straws, coffee cups, napkins, grocery bags, etc.
- Choose loose, unpackaged produce whenever possible.
- Buy local and seasonal fruits and veggies.
- Bring your own produce bags, use compostable bags, or skip the bag altogether for heartier items like apples, onions, or sweet potatoes.
5. Switch to refillables
Switch to refillable cleaning and body care products to ditch plastic bottles for good. Dish soap, laundry detergent, shampoo, conditioner, and similar products are all great places to begin.
6. Choose glass, metal, or paper packaging
When packaging-free isn’t an option, look for products packaged in glass, aluminum, cardboard, or paper. These materials are far easier to recycle and reuse.
Look for:
- Pasta sauces in glass jars (great to reuse in your pantry)
- Beverages in aluminum cans or cartons (yes, cartons are recyclable!)
- Coffees or snacks in BPI-certified compostable containers (especially if you use a home compost service like Green Box that accepts compostables)
7. Make your own snacks and staples
Making your own versions of foods that normally come packaged can be delicious! I’ve tried and enjoyed granola, hummus, baked goods, and pickles.
8. Support plastic-free brands
Many brands are stepping up with innovative plastic-free packaging. Look for companies using BPI-certified compostable packaging, glass or metal containers, and refill or return systems.
9. Host a plastic-free picnic
Seeing others make sustainable choices is a powerful way to inspire behavior change. Invite friends, family, or neighbors to a plastic-free picnic this July.
- Set the theme: zero waste, local food, using unpackaged ingredients
- Bring reusable dishware and cloth napkins
- Share recipes, tips, and maybe even swap reusable containers
10. Have fun and make it beautiful!
Living a more consumption-conscious life doesn’t have to mean restriction, it doesn’t mean having less, and it doesn’t mean giving up what you love. Many of the changes I’ve made personally to lower my waste impact have led to a fuller, richer life. For example, shopping secondhand and vintage for your wardrobe and homewares, having a garden, crafting things out of waste materials, getting unpackaged groceries at a farmers market, or cooking from scratch can all be enjoyable hobbies that reduce your impact. Find what feels right for you and feels like an addition to your life rather than a subtraction!
Spotlight on Local Action: Willy Street Co-op’s Plastic-Free Efforts
I sat down with Liz Muñoz, the Co-op’s Director of Purchasing, to learn more about their work reducing plastic waste and supporting shoppers in making low-impact choices.
Q: Can you share some examples of products or packaging that the Co-op has eliminated or replaced with lower plastic or plastic-free alternatives?
Liz: We are always looking to provide products that are an alternative to ones that commonly use single-use plastics. We are seeing a lot of products in our Wellness departments that provide options, such as Natracare’s tampons that use a cardboard applicator instead of the commonly used plastic applicator, a variety of deodorants in plastic-free packaging from brands like the Humble Co and Attitude, as well as a number of soap and conditioner bars.
We are also working on some easy projects, such as providing a plastic-free bulk spice bag or opting for higher-quality materials when sourcing merchandising units (like stainless steel baskets or bamboo display risers, as opposed to the many plastic options available).
The most exciting plastic-free initiative we’ve got coming up is the return of fresh bakery cases at Willy West and Willy North. If all goes according to plan, we’re hoping to get these up and running in the second half of July. We brought the fresh bakery case back to our East location early last July, and it’s been a hit. We think our West and North shoppers will be pleased to have these options again!
Q: How do you prioritize sustainability or plastic reduction in supplier and product selection?
Liz: We put together a project group that did a deep review of single-use plastic last year and anticipate doing so again to capture any new opportunities to reduce our single-use plastics within our operations. Prioritizing sustainability or plastic reduction can be a challenge because we can only bring in what suppliers can provide. As technology evolves, we expect to have a broader range of options.
Thankfully, the Co-op has always sourced products from companies that prioritize sustainability. We carry many products from brands like Seventh Generation, which is committed to making 100% of its products and packaging biodegradable or recyclable.
We also carry a wide variety of reusable products that help shoppers reduce their use of single-use plastics (or single-use anything!), like Klean Kanteen’s to-go coffee cups and Stasher’s food storage containers.
Q: How do you work with different departments (produce, bulk, and deli) to support plastic reduction?
Liz: Our Produce departments function with the minimal amount of plastic possible. You will not see three tomatoes for sale in a plastic bag (which I’ve seen recently in Madison). Our produce is mostly sold in bulk, so you can get any amount and take it home any way you choose, including loose and without packaging. We sell cloth produce bags if you’d like a reusable option, but also offer plastic and compostable bags so shoppers can make up their own minds on how to get their produce home.
Bulk is always a work in progress, and we are always looking to improve the products and offerings in that department. We sell a number of reusable containers to use in our Bulk departments, like mason jars, cloth bags, and various other glass containers. We offer paper bags for free in our Bulk departments if you’d like a plastic-free option, and we also offer plastic bags right now as we’ve found that some products simply store best in them. I’ve seen many shoppers reuse these plastic bags repeatedly, so they become less and less “single-use.”
Deli is unique in that we mostly offer our own products in this department and have a little more control over what kind of packaging we can provide. While we can’t commit to eliminating plastic packaging in our delis, our Co-op-branded hot bar and salad bar to-go containers are made from 100% recycled paper and contain zero plastic materials, which could potentially lead to a 100% plastic-free breakfast, lunch, or dinner (we sell bamboo utensils too!). COVID created a lot of plastic use in the Delis as we worked tirelessly to keep products self-contained. We are still working to undo some of those measures where we can.
We also focus on minimizing plastic waste in our signage. Some of our product signage has to be waterproof or be able to be durable enough to last for months in an active environment. We used to laminate this signage, but we shifted to printing most of this signage on a kind of plastic paper that can be recycled rather than tossed in the trash like laminated signs must be.
Q: What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve encountered in trying to source plastic-free options?
Liz: One of our biggest challenges is the demand for plastic-free options that simply don’t exist. Product brands and manufacturers, of course, determine the available packaging options, not Willy Street Co-op. There are also, unfortunately, times when plastic is the best option for packaging, whether due to cost, unavailability of other options, or the option that will provide and maintain the best product quality. We’re constantly fielding requests and questions from Owners and customers regarding single-use plastic and their desire for us to use less. Our Category Managers always look for plastic-free options and consider packaging when reviewing our selection. There are certain categories where it can be difficult to find a source for plastic-free options, but we’ve worked to bring in various available options. (See pages 20 and 21 for details on plastic-free products.)
Q: What future goals is the Co-op exploring to further reduce single-use plastics, especially during Plastic-Free July and beyond?
Liz: We plan to pull workgroups together in the future to discuss new products on the market that could be folded into areas of the Co-op. Our product departments will continue to bring in new plastic-free products when they become available to us through distributors and do their best to support the current plastic-free products on our shelves. The Co-op will continue to educate shoppers and staff about ways to reduce plastic use in the stores and at home. Plastic-Free July has become a great way to advocate for that, and we are so excited about what is possible.
The low-waste journey
Plastic-Free July isn’t about doing everything perfectly alone; it’s about imperfectly lowering our waste together. The power of this movement lies in the ripple effect. When you say “no thanks” to a plastic straw or bring your own jar to the Co-op, you’re not just reducing waste, you’re setting an example for the whole community.
Let’s make this our most sustainable July yet. Change happens when inspired people take action! Happy Plastic-Free July!
Learn more:
- Plastic-Free July: www.plasticfreejuly.org
- Plastic Free Foundation: www.plasticfreefoundation.net
- Behavior change statistics from Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing by Doug McKenzie-Mohr:
www.cbsm.com/book - Green Box: www.withgreenbox.com/
- Recycle Better Program: www.sustaindane.org/recycle-better-program
