July is Plastic Free Month!

It's time for Plastic Free July, a movement to encourage people all around the world to tackle plastic pollution. By participating in the campaign and avoiding single-use plastics for the month of July and going forward, you can help Fremont become a climate-ready community! Do Your Part Join the global Plastic Free July Challenge! Then start with these simple Fremont Green Challenge actions at home and when going out.

• Use reusable bags for grocery shopping.
• Use a reusable water bottle.
• Bring your own reusable mug when grabbing coffee.
• Say no to plastic straws or use reusable straws.
• Skip plastic packaging and use reusable containers (e.g., use bar soap instead of plastic bottles).
• Avoid plastic utensils when eating out and have your own reusable set.

To learn more about going plastic-free and reducing waste, check out these other local resources:

• Plastic Free July Action Picker - Plastic Free Foundation
• Strategies to Get Plastic Out of Your Life - Ecology Center
• Reduce and Reuse - StopWaste
• Reuse To Go Kit - Bay Area Recycling Outreach Coalition (BayROC)
• Reusable Blitz - Upstream

California's New Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act Senate Bill 54 (SB 54) is a new California law that requires all packaging to be recyclable or compostable, significantly reducing the use of plastics. Governor Newsom signed SB 54 into law on June 30. The bill requires all packaging in the state to be recyclable or compostable by 2032, reducing plastic packaging by 25% in 10 years and requiring 65% of all single-use plastic packaging to be recycled in the same timeframe. For more information, read the Governor's press release.