Residents and businesses on both sides of Tampa Bay can help bring home another ChampaBay win by joining the Reduce Your Use Tampa Bay team during the Plastic Free Ecochallenge from July 1-31, 2022. The Plastic Free Ecochallenge is an international, month-long effort to encourage a shift away from single-use plastic dependency and create a more sustainable society.
The Reduce Your Use Tampa Bay Ecochallenge team was formed by the existing partnership between regional municipal and nonprofit partners, Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, City of Tampa, City of St. Petersburg, Keep Pinellas Beautiful, and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful., who are already partnered on the waste reduction education campaign with the same name, ReduceYourUseTampaBay.org.
How Ecochallenge Works:
1. Join the Reduce Your Use Tampa Bay team. Visit the Ecochallenge page at https://go.activecalendar.com/pinellascounty/site/pressrelease/event/join-the-reduce-your-use-tampa-bay-team-for-the-plastic-free-ecochallenge-2022/ to sign up.
2. Complete waste-reduction actions to earn individual and team points. Whether you can commit to a one-time action or something new every day, there are dozens of suggested actions to choose from or create your own custom action.
3. Inspire others by inviting them to join and see how hundreds of thousands of everyday actions can add up to significant change.
The three Reduce Your Use Tampa Bay team members from Pinellas or Hillsborough counties with the most points by July 31, 2022, will receive eco-friendly items provided by the campaign. Residents from Pinellas County participating in the Ecochallenge can email recycle@pinellascounty.org to be entered to win a bamboo cutlery set that can be picked up at the Department of Solid Waste in St. Petersburg.
During the Ecochallenge, participants are encouraged to create habits that benefit themselves, their community, and the planet. Some of the suggested actions to earn points include:
• Become a recycling pro - research which materials are accepted curbside and at drop-off locations and recycle those items. Visit pinellascounty.org/recycle for recycling information in Pinellas County.
• Skip plastic bags - when possible, do not use disposable bags when shopping, including produce bags. Reminder - plastic bags and bagged recycling are not recyclable curbside in Pinellas County.
• Fill a water bottle - use a reusable bottle, saving disposable plastic bottles.
• Tour a waste management facility - learn how waste is managed in Pinellas County by touring the Solid Waste Disposal Complex, which includes the Bridgeway Acres Landfill and a Waste-to-Energy Facility. For more information, visit pinellascounty.org/solidwaste/educational/tours.htm.
Original source can be found here.
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