PLASTIC-free shopping is on the rise as the topic of climate change becomes more important than ever.

Plastic-Free July is a global initiative by the Plastic-Free Foundation to help solve plastic pollution and encourage people to refuse single-use plastic.

The campaign is now in its tenth year but founder Rebecca Prince-Ruiz did not expect its success.

Rebecca said: “In 2011 when I first tried to avoid single-use plastic for a month, I never imagined how Plastic-Free July would grow.

“It’s amazing to reflect on the rapid worldwide uptake of the challenge, with people making positive changes in their own lives and in their communities, schools, and workplaces.

“It inspires real impact and continues to influence businesses and governments to make systemic changes.

“I have no doubt the next ten years will continue to grow and become even more relevant with Plastic-Free July being a critical pathway for change, making a difference in working towards a world without plastic waste.”

In 2018, Collins Dictionary declared ‘single-use’ as the word of the year.

Since then, the number of plastic free shops across Essex has risen.

According to Love Essex, there are now more than 25 across the county.

Richard Sambridge, of The Natural Way in Braintree, said consumers choosing to buy package-free will make a “big impact” on the planet.

He said: “As a shop overall we minimise our own black sack waste and have a cardboard recycling company pick up our cardboard and the council take away all our other recyclable waste.

“If we can as consumers decide to buy goods that are 'package free' or re-use containers we already have at home, this will make a big impact on our planet.”

REco Store is a zero-waste business which opened up in a converted storage container in Tiptree in April 2019.

In February, friends and co-owners Susie Falco and Elise Clitheroe opened a new store in Baron Road, South Woodham Ferrers.

The shops sell household cleaning products, beauty products and degradable bin bags.

They also offer oat milk refills, dried foods, nuts, fruits and seeds, and have a liquids sections where customers can reuse laundry or washing up liquid bottles and refill them with plant-based household cleaning products.

Earlier this year, Feering became the first place in Essex to achieve 'plastic-free' status after a campaign launched by a resident.

Marine conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage awarded the accolade to the village in recognition of the work residents have done to reduce the impact of single-use plastic on the environment after a campaign launched by Danielle Levart.

Kelvedon and Feering Cricket Club and Prested Hall both joined the initiative, replacing disposable items, such as plastic straws, bottles, and cups, with more environmentally-friendly options.

Organisations such as Feering Rainbows and the community centre have also joined Feering Parish Council in a pledge to reduce their single-use plastic.