3 Ways to Go Plastic-Free This July While Staying Safe From Coronavirus

• News & Highlights

This month is Plastic Free July, the 31 days every year when millions of people pledge to give up single-use plastics.

Last year, the month boasted around 250 million participants in 177 countries, but this year there's a complication. The coronavirus pandemic is still very much with us, and it has led to a rise in single-use items, from personal protective equipment (PPE) to disposable coffee cups. In the U.S., many states have paused or backtracked on plastic bag bans, WIRED reported, and the UK has delayed its ban on plastic straws and stirrers by six months. Coffee shops including Starbucks have temporarily prohibited reusable mugs. And some U.S. grocery stores and states have gone so far as to prohibit personal shopping bags, as MPR News reported.

When it comes to plastic, the spread of the new disease has created a false dichotomy between public health and environmental stewardship. The organization City to Sea found that 36 percent of Brits feel pressured to use more plastic because of the pandemic. But it doesn't have to be this way.

"Caring for the planet doesn't mean we can't care for ourselves," Plastic Free July founder Rebecca Prince-Ruiz told The New York Times. "We can do both at the same time."