Putnam Solid Waste Campaigning To Live July Plastic Free

Putnam County Solid Waste wants residents to live plastic free this July.

Program Manager Lisa Luck said it may be a challenge, but one can find substitutions to avoid single use plastic items.

“Buy your own straw,” Luck said. “And they have bamboo straws, paper straws, stainless steel straws, and then that way you can carry your own and rinse it out before the next use. As far as avoiding plastic bags, you can just use your own cloth bag.”

Luck said single use plastic items are only used for about 20 minutes, but lasts forever in the environment. Luck said to try using reusable water bottles and bringing your own food storage for restaurant leftovers to limit waste.

“The problem is that plastic is so easily available,” Luck said. “Manufactures have not been responsible for taking care of the waste that they are manufacturing. We’re also responsible for the continuity of the cycle, because we just keep buying.”

Luck said about 350 million tons of plastic products are produced annually with only nine percent recycled. Luck said simply saying no to convenient plastic can make a difference in the environment.

“Plastic is a toxic waste and it is all through the environment causing problems for people and animals,” Luck said. “We got to find a way to manage it, and so plastic free July is the first step in educating people in single use plastic.”