She said planning ahead was a major part of being plastic free, such as taking her own containers for buying sushi.
"During the month I'm planning to incorporate my whole family into [the challenge]."
The store has also created a movement to make Rotorua plastic bag free.
Okere Falls Store staff member Kimi Chater said her family, consisting of two teenage daughters and husband, were happy to be involved.
"There's not enough knowledge out there in the public [about single use plastics], it's the right thing to do."
Mrs Chater already uses her own reusable shopping bags and wraps school lunches in paper rather than glad wrap.
"During the month [I hope to] get a system set up. Using plastic is easy and a habit, I'll be looking for alternatives."
She said she thought taking part was an important thing to do.
"The whole of New Zealand should get behind [the challenge], it's not just Rotorua taking part, it's a worldwide thing. We need to reduce our plastic usage . . . single-use plastic just doesn't make sense."
Fellow staff member Tammy Walker has her own KeepCup, reusable water bottle and straw but was keen to take up the challenge.
"There's so much plastic wastage in the world. It's only one month, it probably won't make a huge difference but it's a start. There are so many reusable options, such as tote bags and straws."
Miss Walker said many companies didn't offer environmentally-friendly options.
"They don't think of the bigger picture."
Tania Tapsell, who is the sustainability portfolio lead for the Rotorua Lakes Council, said she was also taking part in the challenge.
"Single use plastic is a significant problem and my focus is on what's best for our future. Being surrounded by such a beautiful environment [in Rotorua] I want to play my own small part in solving this big problem."
Ms Tapsell said during July she planned to refuse any takeaway plastic such as single-use straws and cups and take her own containers with her.
She encouraged others to take part in the challenge.
"It's about breaking habits. If we want Rotorua to stay beautiful in the future we need to look at our own impact and choose sustainable options."
The Rotorua Daily Post spoke to local shoppers about the idea.
Shirley and Colin Donne from Springfield said they tried to use reusable bags when possible.
"We try to avoid plastic bags. I haven't heard of Plastic Free July but I think it's a good idea," Mr Donne said.
He said he thought some shops were trying to move away from plastics but others could offer more non-plastic options.
Trudi Herniman said she thought the initiative was a great idea.
"When I was in Hawaii recently supermarkets had paper bags instead of plastic bags. Why don't we do that here? It's so much better for the environment. It's frustrating and terrible for Rotorua."
