It's been 10 years since she set out to change what her family put into their household bin and now millions around the world sign up every year to take part in Plastic Free July.

"I never, never ever thought it would come to this. No one could be more surprised than me at the growth and the impact that this incredible movement has had," Ms Prince-Ruiz said.

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Last year 250 million people from 177 countries took the month-long challenge to reduce their use of single-use plastic.

"If you get one person who's perfect, maybe they'll save 100 kilos of waste. Last year with the 250 million people, our estimates are that 125 million kilos of plastic waste were avoided," Ms Prince-Ruiz said.

"This isn't plastic that ended up being recycled. This is plastic packaging that was never used in the first place."

Ms Prince-Ruiz admits it's hard and way more of a challenge than she expected it to be, but she encourages anyone looking to take action to start small.

"Look at the plastics in your life, open your bin and have a peek, have a look inside your pantry and your fridge and just start by choosing one single use or two single use plastics that you're going to try and avoid. Start with that," she said.

"If you try and do everything at once it's just overwhelming and it can become really disheartening.

"If you're just starting out on your journey it might be about skipping the straw or remembering your reusable water bottle or coffee cup. But if you're further along it might be tackling the packaging on fruit and vegetables or switching to a bulk food store, or switching from liquid soap to bar soap."

Shopping at the supermarket has been one of her biggest challenges.

Ms Prince-Ruiz said one day she remembers having an avocado, a bunch of bananas and a loaf of bread in a paper bag and realised there wasn't a lot else she could buy that wasn't packaged in plastic.

But she started learning new skills and making compromises, like going to bulk food stores or buying produce from the farmers' markets.

For anyone interesting in getting tips or taking part in the challenge, head to the Plastic Free July website.