Do Your Part, How to Be and Live Green in Charlotte, NC

July 4th Picnics Don't Have To Be Wasteful

Many of you are gearing up for holiday picnics and barbeques.  From paper plates to plastic water bottles-convenience is a key for any party.   But you don’t have to settle for plastic or virgin paper products.  You can now easily find many products that will help you do your part to conserve resources and reduce waste.

Lets start with the paper products.  Buying recycled paper products is the best way to do your part... but be sure to check the label.  Not all recycled paper products are created equally.  Look for those that are bleach-free and use a high percentage of post consumer content.  That’s the paper that you and I actually  recycled. Napkins and paper towels are easy to find.  Paper plates are a bit more tricky. Chinet uses post industrial recycled content but their plates will biodegrade once they are in the composte bin or landfill as would most other non-coated paper plates.

Cups are another place where you can do your part.  Plastic comes from petroleum.  Oil, a fossil fuel.  Styrofoam really doesn’t break down in the environment.  Reusable cups are not always practical but now you find cups made from corn.  It’s renewable source that doesn’t produce carbon when it’s burned.  You can put them in a compost pile or they’ll break down in the landfill. 

Now the plastic water bottle is hard to resist but here’s another way to do your part.  There are now brands that are using up to 30% less plastic in their bottles.  Not a lot... but it’s another choice.   

Aluminum cans are always the best way to go with any beverage.  Aluminum is one of the most valuable and cost effective materials to recycle.  It’s lightweight and you can crush them so they take up less room. 

Of course it goes without saying that your picnic needs a recycling bin or bag so plan for that too. 

You can do all of these or just one, but make an effort to do your part this holiday weekend.