It’s said that it only takes three to four weeks to cement a new habit. This thinking underpins #PlasticFreeJuly - an annual month-long campaign that’s focused on encouraging people to turn away from single-use plastics and towards more positive and sustainable choices.

An estimated 362 million people took part in the campaign last year, according to The Guardian. It’s a great start, but when it comes to plastic there’s always more to be done. If the world’s current plastic consumption continues at the same rate, it’s estimated that by 2050 there could be more plastic, by weight, than fish in the sea.

Fortunately, there’s never been an easier time to break your plastic habit. There are now plastic free alternatives to almost every plastic product on the market. Here are some of our favourite everyday swaps to help you take your first steps on the path to going plastic free.

• In the kitchen, beeswax wraps make a great plastic free alternative to clingfilm or disposable pots.
• When it comes to laundry day, we’d recommend using a Guppyfriend Washing Bag to catch any microplastics that escape from your clothes and leach into the water system.
• We’re also fans of recycled and plastic free toilet paper by who gives a crap - even better is that 50% of their profits go towards building toilets for communities in need around the world.

At the Supermarket

• Big supermarkets have a plastic problem. When you visit, try to buy individual fruit and veg without plastic packaging. If you’re lucky enough to have a local food shop that lets you bring in your own containers from home and buy in bulk, then even better.
• Hopefully taking a reusable shopping bag is already part of your routine when you visit the supermarket or local shop. But if it isn’t, our 100% organic cotton shopping bag is something you can add to your shopping list.
• And while you’re heading to the shop, don’t forget your reusable mask

At Work

• What modern desk set-up isn’t complete without a reusable water bottle? There are plenty of options to choose from, but we like the simplicity of Chilly’s bottles.
• When lunchtime rolls around, a reusable lunchbox and bamboo cutlery is another way to make sure your not adding to the plastic problem

We’ve intentionally kept our plastic free recommendations simple and achievable. While we’d love it if everyone went plastic free tomorrow, we realise that habits can take a long time to change. Try taking these small steps first, then bigger strides can follow.

For more information about Plastic Free July and for useful plastic free pointers, visit https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/resources/