I recycle. I volunteer at community gardens and beach cleanups. I like to think of myself as an advocate for sustainability.<\/p>\n
So, how is it that I\u2019d never heard of the Plastic Free July?<\/p>\n
Environmental groups across L.A. and Orange counties \u2014 such as Heal the Bay<\/a>, L.A. Waterkeeper<\/a> and the Surfrider Foundation<\/a> \u2014 are all gearing up for the month-long challenge to raise awareness about the prevalence of single-use plastics in our lives, and how we all can take steps to reduce our usage.<\/p>\n I had so many questions. Why hadn\u2019t I come across this initiative before? How come I hadn\u2019t seen it on my social media? What does this challenge entail? So I got to researching.<\/p>\n Keep up with LAist.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, you’ll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less. <\/p>\n Plastic Free July<\/a> started in 2011 by Australian activist Rebecca Prince-Ruiz. It encourages participants to join this challenge through the Plastic Free Foundation\u2019s website<\/a>. There, they choose one type of plastic product that they promise to abandon for the month.<\/p>\n I was in.<\/p>\n At first, though, the challenge seemed daunting. Everywhere I look, there\u2019s plastic, and more and more plastic products are being churned out each day<\/a>. And it\u2019s hard to beat a throwaway item for convenience<\/a>, even though it\u2019s horrible for the planet. Almost every product I use has plastic in it, so how could I be expected to give something up or find a sustainable substitute? After all, I\u2019m an LMU student on a budget.<\/p>\n Why this challenge matters<\/p>\n Kelly Shannon McNeill, L.A. Waterkeeper\u2019s managing director, told me how much plastic actually creeps into our lives, eventually making its way into our bodies.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have found microplastics in everything from ovaries and testicles to fetuses and even in our brains. So it’s an environmental issue. It’s a water quality issue. But I think maybe most importantly, it’s a public health issue as well,\u201d Shannon McNeill said.<\/p>\n Even though these facts are scary, I learned that the Plastic Free July movement isn\u2019t meant to intimidate people. Instead, it\u2019s meant to increase awareness about our environment\u2019s declining health<\/a>, while also leading people to live a more sustainable life, even if it just means making incremental changes.<\/p>\n I started racking my brain for a goal that felt feasible, yet still challenging enough for me to embark on. As an avid fast food eater, I decided it was time to give up plastic straws for the month.<\/p>\n Are you in? What do you plan to give up? Email me<\/a> \u2014 I want to hear what you plan to give up, and why.<\/p>\n Here are 5 other expert tips to get involved:\u00a0 Eugenia Ermacora, Surfrider\u2019s L.A. chapter manager, said this is their biggest beach cleanup of the year<\/a> in Santa Monica: July 5. \u201cWe call it the dirtiest beach day of the year because after 4th of July, we find that our beaches are completely trashed, and we find a lot of debris from people who party on the beach,\u201d Ermacora said.<\/p>\n L.A. Waterkeeper is also hosting a \u201cPlastic Free July decentralized cleanup<\/a>\u201d on July 5. Volunteers can help divert waste from beaches and landfills by combing for trash in their local parks and neighborhoods. During the cleanup, volunteers are encouraged to use the Litterati app<\/a>, which helps record data about the type of plastic waste that L.A. County has within its communities.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can use that [data] from an advocacy perspective to hold some of the manufacturers of this waste accountable to implement more reusable policies,\u201d Shannon McNeill said.<\/p>\n 2026 Plastic Free July events near you<\/p>\n All of these events are billed as family friendly, but see websites for details, such as what to wear for the events.<\/p>\n Trashiest Day of the Year<\/a>: Join L.A. Waterkeeper from 9 a.m. to noon July 5 \u2014 aka “The Trashiest Day of the Year” because of all the litter people leave behind from their holiday parties. Locations vary. The Surfrider Foundation<\/a> is also holding a “Dirtiest Beach Day of the Year” starting at 10 a.m. on July 5 at Santa Monica Beach Lifeguard Tower No. 20.Santa Monica Beach Cleanup<\/a>: Join volunteers from 9 to 11 a.m. July 11, picking up trash and debris from the sand. Long Beach Fixit Clinic<\/a>: Bring in broken household items that need repair from noon to 3 p.m. on July 11 at Sports Basement at 2100 N. Bellflower Blvd., in Long Beach. Your items will get fixed or repaired if at all possible, diverting waste from landfills. And, if you’re game, you might get to hold up a FIXED IT! sign for social media<\/a>.Nothin\u2019 But Sand Redondo Beach Cleanup<\/a>: Join volunteers from 10 a.m. to noon July 18 on the south side of the pier, removing trash and debris from the beaches. 2026 Yoga, Beach Cleanup and Lunch & Learn:<\/a> You’ll do all that and more starting at 8 a.m. July 12 at Baby Beach in Dana Point. LA Waterkeeper C2C and RAFT Field Day<\/a>: From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. July 18, volunteers will pick up trash and test North Atwater Park\u2019s river for water health and biodiversity. <\/p>\n 2. Keep an eye out for minimal packaging<\/p>\n Isaias Hernandez, the L.A.-based creative behind the climate media platform @queerbrownvegan<\/a>, said that when people hear the word sustainability they think, \u201cI have to go out and buy these expensive bathroom products or kitchen gadgets.\u201d Hernandez reassured me that this is not the case.<\/p>\n
\n1. July 5 beach cleanups<\/p>\n