During the month of July, Iowa City celebrated plastic waste reduction with an education program that encouraged community members to be less reliant upon single-use plastic.

Over 120 community members pledged to reduce plastic use and tracked waste reduction actions each week in July. In total, 3,234 actions were completed by participants. Here is a further breakdown of actions: 

• Say “no thank you” to plastic straws at food establishments: 120 actions
• Bring a reusable container with you when dining out to take home any leftovers: 40 actions
• Use a reusable water bottle daily: 588 actions
• Use a reusable mug for coffee or tea: 514 actions
• Use reusable bags when shopping: 340 actions
• Opt for loose produce at the grocery store or use a reusable produce bag: 198 actions
• Purchase plastic-free options for your laundry detergent: 119 actions
• Use wool dryer balls as an alternative to plastic-based dryer sheets: 247 actions
• Opt for soap bars instead of shower gel: 385 actions
• Try a shampoo bar for hair washing:109 actions
• At home, choose reusable options to store the leftovers instead of plastic wrap: 466 actions
• Other actions: 108 actions

“One participant shared that this was the first time she tried a shampoo bar to wash her hair, and she was pleasantly surprised at the suds." said Jane Wilch, City Recycling Coordinator. "Our staff appreciates the efforts made by community members to reduce the use of disposable plastic items." 

A sincere thank you to all participants for your hard work and dedication to waste reduction! 

Why focus on waste reduction? 

Most plastic is not recyclable or difficult to recycle. Even recyclable plastic can only be recycled a few times before it can no longer be recycled and needs to be landfilled. Plastic makes up about 14% of the materials going into the Iowa City Landfill. This equates to over 18,000 tons of plastic waste every year. The best thing we can do is to reduce our use of plastic by using reusable or alternative materials.