Stop the Single-Use Habit: How to Reset Your Home and Your Health This Plastic-Free July!

Plastic Free July

Plastic Free July

Plastic Free July

At Nurture What Matters, we believe that personal wellness and planetary wellness are not separate conversations. They never were. The air you breathe, the water you drink, and the products sitting on your bathroom shelf are all connected. July is the perfect time to take inventory of all that impacts your surroundings; therefore we ask you to be conscious of what is within your space.

What Is Plastic Free July and Why Does It Still Matter?

Plastic Free July began in 2011 in Perth, Australia, when Rebecca Prince-Ruiz partnered with the Western Australian government to tackle the growing plastic pollution crisis. What started as a local challenge has grown into a worldwide movement, with millions of people across the globe committing to refuse single-use plastic not just for one month, but for life.

Today, plastic pollution is not a future problem. It is in our oceans, our communities, our roads, and yes, our bodies. The chemicals found in many plastic-based products are endocrine disruptors, meaning they interfere with our hormones and can contribute to mood swings, inflammation, infertility, and chronic illness. This is not fear-mongering. This is biology.

Choosing to reduce your plastic use is an act of self-care just as much as it is an act of environmental stewardship.

What Slowing Down Taught Us

Something quietly powerful happened during the pandemic years. Life slowed down, and in that stillness, people started to see things. Closets full of clothes that no longer fit. Drawers packed with products long forgotten. Habits that existed simply because no one had paused long enough to question them.

That slowdown created space for conscious living. And conscious living is exactly what the zero-waste movement has always asked of us.

When you stop running long enough to look around, you start asking better questions:

• Do I actually need this?

• Can I reuse, repurpose, or upcycle this instead of tossing it?

• What kind of world am I contributing to with this purchase?

Your old tablecloth does not have to end up in the landfill. Those jeans that no longer fit could become something extraordinary in the right hands. Trash and treasure have always been closer than we think. Sometimes the most sustainable thing you can do is get creative with what you already have and turn it into something new and beautiful. Like our friend Alix did when she decided to turn her bike tires into lovely upcycled earrings.

Your Home Is Your Sacred Space. Treat It That Way.

Over 15 years ago, I began my own sustainable living journey not because it was trending, but because my body demanded it. I could not walk through the detergent aisle of a grocery store without my lungs reacting. No asthma. Just the undeniable truth that the chemicals in conventional products were not neutral. They were doing something to me.

Your home is meant to be a place of restoration. A sanctuary. The products filling that space should support your well-being, not quietly undermine it. From cleaning supplies to skincare, what you bring into your home matters, and so does how you dispose of what you no longer need.

This July, look around with fresh eyes. What plastics are you holding onto out of habit? What can be swapped, donated, recycled, or reimagined?

5 Actionable Ways to Start Your Plastic-Free July Today

You do not have to overhaul your life in a weekend. Start small. Start somewhere. Here is how:

1. Swap your water bottle. Commit to one reusable bottle and one reusable straw. That one shift, done consistently, adds up to hundreds of single-use plastics eliminated.

2. Audit your bathroom. Skincare and hair care products are some of the biggest offenders in plastic packaging. Look for what can be swapped for a refillable, sustainable, or naturally packaged alternative.

3. Rethink your kitchen. Paper towels, plastic wrap, and disposable bags are all replaceable. A reusable cloth, a beeswax wrap, and a set of reusable bags can quietly transform your daily routine.

4. Upcycle before you toss. Before something goes in the trash, consider asking, Could this be repurposed? Donated? Transformed? One person’s clutter is someone else’s raw material.

5. Stock up on sustainable essentials. Visit nurturewhatmatters.com/shop to explore our curated collection of natural, sustainable, and upcycled goods, including reusable utensils, bags, straws, and more. Every product we carry is chosen with intention.

The Bigger Picture

People around the world are working hard to clean up this planet, not just for themselves, but for the generations coming behind them. Plastic Free July is one of the most powerful reminders that individual choices, made collectively, become movements.

You do not have to be perfect. You just have to be willing to begin.

Start with one swap. One habit, before you reach for the disposable option. That is how change actually happens, not all at once, but one conscious choice at a time.

This July, commit to a plastic-free month, a zero-waste summer, or simply one new habit that honors both your well-being and this planet we share.

We are rooting for you.

With love and intention,

The Nurture What Matters Family

Ready to make the swap? Shop our sustainable essentials at nurturewhatmatters.com/shop and follow us on Instagram @nurturewhatmattersnyc for daily inspiration all month long.

Source: plasticfreejuly.org