‘Plastic Free July’ initiative aims to reduce plastic waste, help clean up Louisville
By Addie Meiners
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LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — Mayor Craig Greenberg was joined by other city leaders on Tuesday to discuss the city’s participation in “Plastic Free July.”
The worldwide initiative aims to encourage people to reduce their use of single-use plastics.
“Louisville Metro Government’s Waste Management District collects over 33,000 tons of plastics each year, most of which ends up in a landfill,” said Greenberg. “That’s a problem here; that’s a problem around the world.”
Greenberg said many of those plastics end up in our waterways and oftentimes on city streets.
“So we want to encourage everyone around the entire city to find a way to make some conscious decisions to use less plastic in your daily lives. It is no longer difficult, it is very easy. So please, just a few small changes can make a real difference for our city, for our country, and for our world,” said Greenberg.
The mayor is also encouraging local businesses to take part in the movement.
Leslie Delgado, the owner of Peace of Earth Refillery in Douglass Loop, took the initiative seriously. She, along with a few other businesses, created a bingo card to encourage customers to patronize businesses that practice sustainability.
“You just complete any of the sustainable action tasks on the card and when you get a bingo, then you’re entered into a grand prize drawing,” said Delgado. “Here at the Refillery, you can donate bottles for other people to fill, or if you come in and refill a laundry or cleaning product, you get a stamp. At Hi-Five donuts, if you bring in a your own reusable coffee cup that they’ll give you a sticker.
“Good Belly sandwich shop here in the loop, a lot of people don’t realize that they’re taking a lot of strides to reduce the amount of plastic that they’re using, and it’s delicious, too. So if you make any purchase there, then you get a sticker on your bingo card as well.”
As a member of Beyond Plastics Louisville, a nonprofit who is working with the city on the initiative, Delgado believes if everyone makes one small change, it can make a big difference.
Beyond Plastics Louisville is hosting a free movie screening on Thursday night of the film “We’re All Plastic People Now” at the Highlands Shelby Park Public Library.
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