What is more important than recycling plastic? Ikuko Umemura

Ikuko Umemura shares information on Australia's Plastic Free July campaign with her fellow Japanese.

Sydney-based Ikuko Umemura (middle) has been participating in the Plastic Free July movement and sharing information in Japanese Source: Ikuko Umemura

Source: Ikuko Umemura

Ms. Umemura, a Sydney-based Japanese woman, decided to start getting rid of plastics from her life after years of sufferings from serious eczema.

Now Ms Uemura has a Facebook group to share information on the Plastic Free July campaign with other Japanese people.   Plastic Free July started in Western Australia in 2011 by one woman and it has now become a global campaign in 177 countries.

Ms Umemura runs a Facebook group called Plastic Free July Japan to share related information in Japanese.  The group has approximately 1,500 members.

In the audio, Ms. Umemura tells us the difference between Japan and Australia in terms of plastic use and shares her tips with us to reduce the use of plastics without too much stress.

In Japan, single-use plastic shopping bags began being charged from the first of July this year.  They used to be distributed free of charge.

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