Through the efforts of sustainability organizations and local city government officials, Fort Collins has officially completed its first Plastic Free July, a pledge-based movement in which participants work to remove single-use plastic from their lives and spread awareness about waste during the month of July.

Roxanne Griffin, a member of the Larimer County League of Women Voters, FoCo Trash Mob and NoCo PerSisters, was one of the main motivating forces behind getting PFJ started in the city.

Griffin said she was inspired by the city of Lafayette, Colorado, to submit a PFJ proclamation to the local government, which would formally recognize the movement. The proclamation was accepted and read aloud to an audience of activists within the city council chambers on June 2. Outside the council building, various groups set up tables and activities for a celebratory rally. 

“There was a really good vibe in the city council chambers,” Griffin said. “It brought me a lot of joy. … It was very much a party atmosphere.” 

After the official recognition by the city government, Griffin said it was important to her and the organizations she is involved with to find numerous ways to promote PFJ and turn it into an opportunity to share sustainability resources and awareness with the community.

“We’ve reached out to members of all the groups and friends and contacts within the community,” Griffin said. “(We’re) encouraging them to take the plastic audit, and then to give us feedback by sharing photos of the weeklong trash that they collected and their reflections.” 

Griffin’s outreach resulted in two different events being hosted on July 25. One was a free viewing of “The Plastic Detox,” a Netflix documentary that centers on how microplastics affect human health, held at the Global Village Museum of Arts and Culture; the other was a trash pick-up hosted in collaboration with Eco-Cycle, a zero-waste nonprofit based in Colorado, at the Poudre River Whitewater Park.

Ryan Call, a policy and campaigns specialist at Eco-Cycle, attended the event because of his connections with FoCo Trash Mob and support of the PFJ movement. As an organizer, Call emphasized the importance of community in the events and pledges for PFJ.

“Reduce, reuse, recycle and relationships to tie them all together,” Call said. “Zero waste, it’s something that … you can do by yourself, but it’s a lot more fun with others.”

Griffin also recognized the contribution of city council members themselves, who all participated in an audit for PFJ by saving the single-use plastics generated in their household for a week of their choosing in July and documenting the results.

“I think (the city government) recognizes the importance of the efforts of these nonprofits in the community and they want to support that,” Griffin said. 

City council representatives Julie Pignataro and Melanie Potyondy discussed their experience with the audit and seeing group accountability in action. 

“Part of the reason we all did it is because so many of us did; … you probably would look weird if you didn’t,” said Pignataro. “So there’s a weird accountability going on there.”

Potyondy stated the audit was useful in reminding her of the extent of plastic usage in daily life, even as someone who makes an effort to reduce waste.

“It was a refresher to be aware of areas where I have maybe slid into some of that convenience,” Potyondy said. “It does just make you more mindful, I think, when you see just how much plastic waste there is as somebody who, you know, tries.”

After spending a month planning activities to spread awareness and advocacy, Griffin said she is ready to get started brainstorming how to spread the word about PFJ next year.

“I recently applied for a grant from the city’s arts and culture department, and I’ve organized a team of five artists,” Griffin said. “And if the grant is approved — hopefully — we are looking at having an art exhibit with the focus on single-use plastics.”

Griffin said she believes that spreading the word about PFJ, and the events associated with it, is an impactful way to get people invested in preventing single-use plastic waste in Fort Collins. 

“Plastic Free July and the proclamation and the work we’ve done in the past — all of that is just building blocks and we just keep amplifying that effort,” Griffin said. “We give presentations and I think people are becoming more and more aware thanks to presentations like Ryan Call has done and presentations that FoCo Trash Mob members and myself included have given.”

Reach Maiya Kreamer at life@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.