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Despite your best efforts, you may find that avoiding plastic products and packaging altogether is challenging or impossible – there just might not be good alternatives (yet) for products you need. You may feel that businesses, governments, and other institutions need to do more to reduce plastics.
Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington counties work in multiple ways to reduce plastic waste. In addition to supporting residents to take action, we offer grants, technical assistance, and free resources to businesses, schools, and multifamily properties to help them improve recycling and reduce waste. Many local businesses and organizations use these funds to switch from single-use plastics to reusable materials.
We also recognize businesses for their efforts and promote them to consumers so they can support businesses that are taking action. In addition, we are working in partnership on legislation to require brand owners and packaging producers to take more responsibility for the packaging on Minnesota shelves.
The Plastic-Free Challenge is our offering for residents, empowering you to reduce plastics in your own life and advocate for the changes you want to see in your community.
Here are some ways you can advocate for more sharing, reducing, and reusing in order to create a plastic-free world.
Using your power as a consumer to cause change
You can advocate for better food packaging options as a consumer. Locally, let your favorite restaurants, grocery stores, and employers know that you’re interested in reducing waste. Get your friends and family to join you, and businesses will start to listen. You can talk to store managers, fill out customer surveys, or write letters to let these places know you want to see less waste associated with the products you buy.
You can refer them to resources such as the MNimize campaign, which recognizes businesses already reducing plastic waste and offers assistance and rebates for those wanting to do more. BizRecycling supports businesses in Ramsey and Washington counties with free assistance and grants up to $10,000 to switch from disposal plastics to reusable or compostable takeout ware. In Hennepin County, business recycling grants can help businesses with waste reduction projects.
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 Support the sharing and reuse economy
One of the simplest ways to avoid plastic is to buy fewer products or find something secondhand instead of getting it new. Save money, rescue something from a landfill, and build stronger relationships with your neighbors while you’re at it. Here are some ways to get started:
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 Take action
If you are ready to advocate for more plastic-free options, commit to actions in the community category:
- Advocate for more food packaging options
- Support a sharing economy
- Write letters, emails, or sign petitions
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Remember to check in to your actions to see your impacts add up
The impacts are really starting to add up! Make sure to check in to your dashboard to mark actions as complete. As of this week, participants have completed 13,000 actions resulting in the following impacts:
- Over 360 pounds of packaging waste prevented
- Over 4,100 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions avoided
- Over 1,300 pieces of plastic cutlery not sent to the landfill
- Over 370 hours spent learning
Thank you to our many organizational partners for helping promote and engage participants for this challenge. Today we want to give special thanks to Forks in the Dirt, GATE Non-profit Education Institute, Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi, Al-Furaat Institute, Art to Change the World, and First Nations Kitchen.
Friday, February 2: Tips for getting started with the challenge
Monday, February 5: The problem with plastics
Wednesday, February 7: Types of plastics
Friday, February 9: Effectiveness of plastics recycling
Monday, February 12: Going plastic-free with your family
Wednesday, February 14: Reducing plastic in your wardrobe
Friday, February 16: Plastic-free pets, your other children
Monday, February 19: Changing how you shop
Wednesday, February 21: Avoiding plastics while dining out and on-the-go
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