Plastic Free July: What We Learnt and Where We’re Headed

Plastic Free July officially kicked off with a powerful shift this year—Western Australia introduced a new ban on moulded expanded plastic packaging. As part of Stage 2 of the State Government’s plan to reduce plastic waste, the ban applied to all WA businesses, manufacturers, retailers, and distributors.

So what does it mean?
From July 1st, products using expanded polystyrene (EPS) or other cut-to-shape moulded plastics for packaging can no longer be sold or supplied in WA. These foamed plastics are notoriously difficult to recycle and often end up polluting the environment, posing serious risks to wildlife.

WA’s Environment Minister, Matthew Swinbourn, summed it up well: “Foamed plastics like EPS break into tiny pieces that are harmful to wildlife and difficult to clean up. By removing them from circulation, we’re protecting our natural spaces and encouraging smarter, more sustainable packaging choices.”

At Amity Blue, this was music to our ears. We've built our brand on turning waste into something beautiful and useful, and we fully support policies that help clean up our planet. That’s why this Plastic Free July, we made our own pledge:
We wouldn’t buy any products packaged in single-use plastic for the whole month.

Now that July has come to an end, we’ll be honest—it wasn’t as easy as we thought. We ran into unexpected challenges, especially at the supermarket. From fresh produce wrapped in plastic to pantry staples with no alternative packaging, it became clear how deeply single-use plastic is embedded in our daily lives. But it also became clear how much room there is for improvement—and how much of a difference small changes can make.

We learnt a lot. We found new local stores, tried new brands, and discovered some great plastic-free swaps that we’ll continue using beyond July. And most importantly, we became more conscious of every purchasing decision.

Last year, Plastic Free July inspired an estimated 174 million people around the world to take part, avoiding around 390 million kilograms of plastic waste. This year, we were proud to be part of that movement.

The new WA ban wasn’t just about polystyrene—it formed part of a broader national push to phase out problematic plastics for good. While some exemptions still applied (such as for medical use or fragile items without safe alternatives), it marked a big step forward. And it showed how government and businesses can work together to drive change.

As Plastic Free July wraps up, we’re not done. We’ll keep striving to reduce our use of single-use plastics, and we encourage you to do the same. Simple swaps—like using reusable bags, choosing loose produce, or switching to bar soap—really can make a long-term impact.

Let’s keep the momentum going. For the oceans. For the wildlife. For future generations.

💙Katie and the Amity Blue team