With Independence Day celebrations on the horizon, SWACO is sharing some easy ways to make your summer celebrations a little more sustainable this year.
- Go Meatless: While July 4th is synonymous with grilling burgers and hot dogs, consider going meat free by opting for plant-based recipes like this Smokey Black Bean Burger. Bonus: These patties can be made with your everyday pantry ingredients, saving a trip to the store and potentially cutting down on food waste.
- Skip the Disposable Serving Ware: Plastic utensils may be convenient, but they aren’t recyclable. For small parties, consider dusting off your favorite festive dish set; for larger parties, choose BPI certified compostable options that have been tested to break down in a commercial compost facility. If you don't currently have access to a commercial composting program, consider using uncoated paper plates and bamboo cutlery, which will decompose in a home compost environment.
- Fresh from the Garden: Instead of decorating your table with cheap decorations you’ll later toss in the trash, top your tables with seasonal flowers from your garden or bountiful bunches of in-season fruits and vegetables.
- Make Recycling Easy: Out of sight, out of mind? Not this year. Set out your recycling bins next to your trash to make it easy for guests to recycle on their way out. Print and display this recycling sign to make it easy for guests to know what to toss in the blue cart.
- Minimize Food Waste: Like most holidays and big gatherings, it’s easy to stock your grocery cart with more than you think you need which can lead to unnecessary food waste. In Franklin County, over a million pounds of food waste enters the landfill every day. Check out this Guest-imator tool to help determine how much food to purchase for your next gathering.
Showing your patriotism this Independence Day by caring for your country, and our planet. For more tips on how to stay green and recycle right, click here.
Together, we can make a difference.