Check out this Plastic Free July story from our intern at CAFNEC, Amalia. Amalia is studying at Monash University in Melbourne and originally hails from Java, Indonesia.
Hey there!
It’s been two weeks since I pledged to refuse the top 4 single-use plastic i.e. plastic bags, straws, coffee cups, and plastic bottles. It’s been pretty good so far. I made it a habit of carrying a keep cup, a bottle, and an extra food container whenever I go out. So here’s my plastic-free July journey so far:
In my first plastic free July week I went to a drive-in cinema in Mareeba and requested my milkshake to be put in my own bottle. My friend stepped back when I ordered, but I got my plastic free chocolate milkshake! Feeling more confident, I tried to order more plastic-free food and beverage that night, I rinsed my bottle with water and ordered a large hot chocolate with marshmallow + a box fries, walked back to the car only to find the ketchup was packaged in plastic! Nooo!
I sent this article to my dad back home. He was pretty excited. Hopefully I can get my family on board to go plastic-free.
Last night I was craving for some food from home and brought my own food container to a Malaysian Restaurant. I ended up buying too much food and had to take one of their food containers home.
In my second week, I tried to cook or dine-in as much as possible, to avoid plastic containers, I have been doing pretty well. I even used my keep cup to get a huge scoop of ice cream on the way back from Fitzroy Island. But yesterday, I went to a sushi restaurant and ordered some food. After a while, a friendly waiter came and handed my sushi rolls in a food container, inside a plastic bag! I asked them whether I can have the sushi on a plate. I felt upset because I know that they will probably throw away the plastic container and the bag.
No cones? You can use your keep cup as an alternative to single-use plastic
Plastic has a huge presence in our daily life. It took me a while to change my mindset and consumption behavior, and the experience has been quite challenging. It’s even tougher to change other people’s behavior and view towards plastic. However through this experience, I learned that communication is an important key. You can make a difference by talking to your friends, family, the cashier, your local grocer, and to other awesome people who’s going plastic free to share your challenges and get useful plastic-free tips.
If you are interested in joining us and learn more about the cause, come to our weekly workshop. It’s never too late to live a plastic-free life.
Cheers,
Amalia
