Making a coffee run or going to pick up some groceries instead of using the single use coffee cups or plastic bags.

Consider switching over to a reusable cup or bag.

That's the message at the center of Plastic Free July.

An international campaign Lexington has joined to encourage people to reduce their plastic use.

Plastic Free July is an international movement started in Australia, and this is the second year that Lexington has officially participated.

And I know the name sounds intimidating.

Like it sounds like you have to give up plastic for a whole entire month.

But we're really asking people to do is just choose one little thing to focus on and try and reduce their plastic use in that way.

If you use lots that you can do, carry a reusable bag with you instead of getting single, use plastic bags and you'll be surprised at how often that comes in handy.

Declined straws or carry a reusable metal straw with you.

And the same is true if you're a person that does creamer in your coffee and you have a coffee stirrer, take your reusable water bottle, which you're probably already doing in this hot weather, or come up with your own challenge so you can tag us live Green Lex on Facebook and Instagram.

And we're asking people to show us all the creative ways that they are cutting down their plastic use.

This month.

Think of this as kind of like a mid-year New Year's resolution.

So maybe it's you'll do it, you'll try it, and then it might be a habit that will stick.

So for me, I try not to put my food and plastic on especially I don't heat it up in plastic.

So I have glass containers that I bring my lunch in or stainless steel if it's cold.

There's all kinds of reasons why people might want to do this.

In some cases it can save you money if you do the coffee shop thing.

A lot of our local coffee shops will give you a discount, like 15 or 10% off for bringing your own cup, because that's one less cup they have to buy.

It's also good for your health if you've heard about microplastics.

Those are plastics that break down into very, very tiny pieces.

And they can end up in your body, in your bloodstream.

Think about your day and how many times you use something that's plastic.

Some of it can't be avoided.

Our cars do have a lot of parts that are plastic, and that helps them be safer.

And for example, I wear contact lenses.

I'm not going to change back to glasses, but there are a lot of times where people use plastic just for convenience.

And then it ends up in the trash in the landfill.

So we're just encouraging people saying, you know, you don't have to do everything, but just do something to help increase awareness and reduce the problem.

Louisville is also participating and has started its own campaign to reduce the use of everyday plastic items.