How Are You Really Doing?
An honest check-in for everyone taking the challenge. The crushers, the wobblers, and yes, the ones who quietly gave up on day four. You all belong here.
Somewhere around the middle of every Plastic Free July, the same thing happens. The excitement of week one wears off, real life shows up, and everyone quietly asks themselves the same question: am I actually doing this right?
Here is the answer up front: if you are thinking about your plastic use at all, you are doing it right. That is the whole point of the challenge. Not perfection. Awareness first, then progress.
So consider this your official mid-month check-in. No guilt, no scorekeeping. Just the five challenges we hear about most from our community every single July, and a practical fix for each one.
First, Find Yourself On This List
Fifteen days in, most people fall into one of three camps:
The Crusher. Your reusables live by the door, your bathroom is basically a plastic-free showroom, and you have opinions about produce bags now. Amazing. Your challenge for the second half is helping someone else start.
The Wobbler. You started strong, then a busy week happened. A takeout container here, a forgotten water bottle there. You are doing better than you think, and the second half of this post is written for you.
The Restarter. You signed up with big intentions and life had other plans. Good news: Plastic Free July has no attendance policy. Day 15 is a perfectly good day one.
Plastic Free July has no attendance policy. Day 15 is a perfectly good day one.
The 5 Most Common Mid-Month Challenges (And the Fix for Each)
"I keep forgetting my reusables."
The most common stumble by far. You get to the store and the tote bags are sitting at home on the counter, judging you.
The FixStop relying on memory and start relying on placement. Reusables live in the car, in your work bag, and hanging on the front door handle. The rule is simple: the moment you empty a bag, it goes straight back to its station, not the counter. Habits stick when the environment does the remembering for you.
"Everything I buy still comes wrapped in plastic."
You skipped the plastic bag, then watched the cashier ring up cucumbers shrink wrapped like they were being shipped to space. It can feel like the system is working against you. Honestly, it kind of is.
The FixFocus on your controllables. You cannot redesign the grocery store this month, but you have total control over the products you use every single day. Your toothpaste, your shampoo, your dish soap. Those daily repeat purchases are where your personal plastic footprint actually lives, and every one of them has a plastic-free version that works. Win the daily routine and let the cucumber go.
"Plastic-free feels more expensive."
The sticker price of a shampoo bar next to a bottle of drugstore shampoo can make you hesitate. We get it.
The FixCompare cost per use, not price tags. One shampoo bar lasts around 50 to 80 washes, which replaces up to three plastic bottles. A dish soap bar outlasts multiple bottles of liquid and cleans your countertops and stovetop too. Concentrated products without the water weight almost always win the long game. Plastic-free is not a premium. It is just priced honestly.
"My household is not on board."
You are chewing toothpaste tablets while someone you love is squeezing a plastic tube three feet away. Harmony feels distant.
The FixLead by swap, not by speech. Nobody has ever been lectured into a lifestyle change, but plenty of people have stolen their partner's shampoo bar and never gone back. Put great products in the shower and by the sink, say nothing, and let them work. Shared spaces make the best converts.
"I slipped up, so what is the point?"
You used a straw. You accepted the bag. You ordered takeout on a hard Tuesday and the container haunts you. Now the whole challenge feels blown.
The FixZoom out. The goal of Plastic Free July was never a flawless month. It is to walk out of July with one or two swaps you keep forever. One person who permanently switches to plastic-free oral care prevents more waste over a lifetime than a hundred perfect Julys followed by a return to old habits. A slip-up is a data point, not a disqualification.
A slip-up is a data point, not a disqualification. Progress over perfection, always.
Three Swaps That Carry You Through July (And Way Past It)
Daily-use products are where the challenge is won. These three cover your morning, your shower, and your sink.
Toothpaste Tablets
Chew, brush, done. Foamy, minty, and zero plastic tubes. Refillable glass jar with N-HA or fluoride options.
Shop TabletsShampoo + Conditioner Bars
One bundle replaces up to six plastic bottles. Vegan, sulfate free, and handmade in the USA.
Shop The BundleDishwashing Soap Bar
Cuts grease, suds like a dream, and cleans the whole kitchen. Zero bottles under your sink.
Shop Dish BarsYour Second-Half Game Plan
Forget doing everything. Here is the entire strategy for the back half of the month:
The Rest-of-July Checklist
- Pick ONE swap from this month you commit to keeping forever
- Station your reusables where you leave the house, not where you unpack
- Swap one daily-use product you have not tackled yet
- Invite one person to join you for the last two weeks
- Forgive every slip immediately and keep moving
That is it. Five lines. If you only do the first one, July was a success.
And remember why this matters. The plastic you skip this month never breaks down into microplastics, never ends up in a waterway, and never needs to exist at all. Every refused bag and every swapped bottle is a small vote for a different future. Millions of people are voting alongside you right now.
Finish July Strong.
Mother Earth Will Thank You.
Plastic-free, vegan, and Leaping Bunny certified essentials for every room in your home. Built to outlast the challenge.
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