The nonprofit organization Zero Waste Ypsi is introducing itself to the Ypsilanti community with a five-day Plastic Free July Challenge occurring from July 28 to Aug. 1, 2025.
The sibling co-founders of ZeroWaste.Org, Samuel McMullen and Lydia McMullen-Laird, are launching the challenge in support of the global Plastic Free July movement. After establishing strong roots in Ann Arbor and other locations, they are using the newest chapter of their organization, Zero Waste Ypsi, to cater to the Ypsilanti community.
The brother-sister duo was inspired to start ZeroWaste.Org in 2015 while researching air pollution in China. After realizing there is a connection between air pollution, Chinese export production, and consumption in the United States, they publicly decided to live waste-free for a year and have not gone back.
Now having lived waste-free for an entire decade, the pair uses ZeroWaste.Org to share ways to make waste reduction collaborative and fun.
Zero Waste Ypsi will not be undertaking its Plastic Free July Challenge alone. It has received support from local businesses that also care about reducing plastic waste, including Bridge Community Cafe, Hyperion Coffee Co., SCRAP Creative Reuse, Kid Ink, BYOC Co., Growing Hope and more.
The Ypsilanti Farmers Market is shown sporting a communal “bag tree” where marketgoers can help themselves to a reusable bag instead of a single use carrier. Image courtesy of Growing Hope
Samuel McMullen mentioned the importance of support from local businesses in the decision to chose Ypsilanti as the next location for the new ZeroWaste.Org chapter.
“I think there’s just a really strong existing community infrastructure, and that just makes it really exciting to work with these critical partners and hopefully offer a little bit of additional push for plastic waste reduction in Ypsi,” McMullen said.
In addition to her brother's statement, McMullen-Laird emphasized Ypsilanti’s social unity.
“I also think Ypsi has a warmth as a community and an openness to this kind of thing. It’s hard to quantify, but I think Ypsi definitely feels like a very strong community and that people look out for each other,” she explained.
To further the importance of reducing plastic use in Ypsilanti, McMullen cited a 2014 microplastics study conducted by the United States Geological Survey and shared by the Huron River Watershed Council. The study found that out of 29 Great Lakes tributaries surveyed in six different states, the samples taken from the Huron River in Ann Arbor, Michigan, contained the highest concentration of microplastic pollution. Since the same river runs through the heart of Ypsilanti, locals should be aware that this affects their community as well.
The refillable goods dispensers at the Ypsilanti Food Co-op allow shoppers to bring reusable containers and avoid single use packaging waste. Shoppers can weigh their personal containers at a weigh station, fill them with the items they desire, and then subtract the weight of the empty container from the total weight of the full one. Image courtesy of Lea Rode | ZeroWaste.Org
Those interested in participating in the Ypsi Plastic Free July Challenge can sign up on the ZeroWaste.Org website. The challenge is open to participants of any knowledge level, whether or not they have prior experience reducing their plastic use.
“There’s no doing a bad job at this challenge. It’s not meant to be intimidating or to kind of make you feel guilty. It’s just meant to give you a lot of options and resources for how you can reduce plastic,” said McMullen-Laird.
Participants may complete the challenge individually but are encouraged to join or create a team of their own. Eastern Michigan University students are welcome to join the team “EMU Eagles” for their corresponding school.
Once the challenge begins on July 28, participants will receive an interactive course in their email inbox filled with educational tips and local community resources to help reduce their reliance on plastic. Participants can complete the interactive elements to earn points for their team.
Prizes will be awarded by drawing names of participants. The more points participants have, the more entries they will get in the drawing.
Drawing winners could receive a $25 gift certificate to SCRAP Creative Reuse, a $20 gift certificate to Hyperion Coffee Co., a free workshop at Kid Ink’s Summer Sprint Series, or a free coffee at Bridge Community Cafe.
Outside of the Plastic Free July Challenge, students and community members have other opportunities to get involved with ZeroWaste.Org and its local chapter.
Volunteers are always welcome at ZeroWaste.Org. Those interested in volunteering can submit an interest form on the organization's website.
Students are also welcome to email hello@zerowaste.org to inquire about potential internship opportunities. The nonprofit offers internships in areas such as social media, design, event coordination and more.
“At any time, we’re always open to people writing to us and saying, ‘Hey, this is who I am, this is why your mission resonated with me. I’d love to get involved in this aspect of your work.’ What we’re looking for is to build a movement and just get as many people involved as possible, so we’re always open,” McMullen-Laird explained.
Zero Waste Ypsi will also be hosting a clothing and mug swap event at Bridge Community Cafe from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 27, as part of the Plastic Free July Challenge. Attendees can bring gently worn clothing, cups, mugs and water bottles to swap for something new.
The excess items from the upcoming clothing swap at Bridge Community Cafe will be used to fill the cafe’s clothing racks, which are always open and free for anyone in need. Image courtesy of Samuel McMullen | ZeroWaste.Org
For those looking to stay involved, future events and updates will be posted on @zerowaste_ypsi and @zerowastedotorg on Instagram. Updates can also be found in the ZeroWaste.Org newsletter. The newsletter's sign up is located at the bottom of the nonprofit's website.
When concluding his thoughts on choosing Ypsilanti for the newest chapter of ZeroWaste.Org, McMullen said, “I think it’s really just that there’s so much beautiful work already happening and that we’re excited to participate in our own little way.”
