Plastic Free July

Posted
12th July 2024
in blog, Gaskell House Blogs, other

Manchester is aiming to become a zero carbon city by 2038. This is 12 years ahead of the Government’s target for the UK of 2050. During July businesses across the city are promoting plastic free July to help promote ways we can all help to reduce the use of single use plastics.

At Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, we are already doing some small things to help reduce the growing plague of single-use plastic engulfing our seas and rivers and landfill.

We don’t sell bottled water – free drinking water is always available in our Tea Room, and we are happy to refill visitors’ water bottles (just ask!)
In place of plastic packet or bottled soft drinks for children, we sell glasses of cordial, with a free refill!
We reuse the plastic bags that come via book donations (you might get offered one if you buy a pile of second-hand of books and haven’t brought a bag with you)
We let you bring your own packed lunch to eat in our Tea Room or garden (see below)
And we continue to look at more ways in which to reduce waste of all kinds as part of our environmental sustainability policy

What you can you do at home to reduce plastic use?

An obvious one is a reusable water bottle, and there are now loads of places where you can refill it including Manchester’s Libraries, leisure centres and other cultural venues like The People’s History Museum, Castlefield Gallery and Manchester Jewish Museum as well as 10 sites in the city’s parks. There are also over 300 cafes and other businesses across Manchester offering this service.

Soft plastic packaging at the supermarket is another big source of single use plastics that often get thrown in the bin. Many supermarkets collect these for recycling including the Co-op, Aldi and Tesco. If you can, buy fruit and vegetables loose and carry a reusable shopping bag – saves money too!
Another easy money saver is to make your own sandwiches and salads for lunch (in reusable boxes or washable wraps). We don’t mind if people bring their own picnics to eat in the garden or Tea Room at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, we just ask that you buy a drink or snack.

Small changes can make a big difference – like buying soap instead of hand gel, shampoo and shower gel. There are lots of useful tips at https://gmgreencity.com/the-plastic-pact/ from cleaning products to period products. At Elizabeth Gaskell’s House we buy hand wash, washing-up liquid and cleaning products in bulk and refill existing smaller containers.

Want to find out more?

Take the plastic quiz at https://www.plastricfreejuly.org/

Find out what Manchester is doing by clicking here

Do the Plastic Free 31 Day Challenge

This blog was written by Lizzie Gent, Volunteer and Environmental Sustainability champion for the House. Many of the team have also completed Carbon Literacy Training and you can read our Environmental Sustainability Policy by clicking here