Julie Maurer: Low-waste strategies for Memorial Day and other summer cookouts and picnics

Warm weather is finally here! With Memorial Day coming up, and other festivities on the horizon, it’s a good time to stop and think about how we can protect the very outdoors we are enjoying. By keeping waste reduction in mind when planning your picnics and cookouts, you can have a great time while also not contributing more trash toward the landfill.

We’ve compiled some tips on how to plan for your events. As always, the easiest way to remember how to keep things out of the landfill is to follow the three R’s — reduce, reuse and recycle.

Reuse

The obvious top choice for sustainability when it comes to tableware is to avoid disposable. Plan a summer picnic basket that you can bring to every cookout you attend that has plates and cutlery, and even cups for you to use. Then when you’re done, pack your dirty dishes in your basket and bring them home to wash.

If you are hosting, you can provide reusable plates. One idea to avoid hardened food on all those dishes you have to wash is to put a bin of soap and water out by the picnic so people can put their dirty dishes in there so you can wash them later.

Recycle

While it is the common understanding that most disposable tableware is non-recyclable, there are a few exceptions. Check the label on your boxes of plastic cutlery and plastic plates — if they are labeled as plastic #6, they can be recycled if your collector accepts that number. Just make sure they are cleared of all food debris before putting them in your recycle bin.

Most plastic cups are not recyclable — so skip the 2-liters and go for cans of pop instead because they provide individual servings in a container that can be recycled (and earn you 10 cents back, nonetheless).

And speaking of metal things that are recyclable — don’t forget to embrace the power of aluminum when it comes to food storage. Disposable baking tins made from this material can be used as serving dishes at your event and then rinsed and tossed in the recycle bin afterward.

Use tin foil to top and preserve your food rather than un-recyclable plastic wrap and baggies.

Reduce

Finally, when your picnic ends, try to reduce the amount of food in the trash by making sure to send leftovers home with everyone. If you still have way too much food to take home and eat, try sharing some with your neighbors. You can ask in your local community Facebook groups if there is anyone in need of a meal that day. Or if there are any farmers that might want it for animal feed. Not only would you be preventing that food from rotting at the landfill and emitting dangerous methane gases, but it would help you connect to your community!

Though some of these steps to divert waste during your Memorial Day picnic or other summer events may seem like a lot of work, it is a small price to pay to continue to enjoy the beautiful outdoors without damaging it.

— Julie Maurer is the coordinator of the Solid Waste and Materials Management Program for the Lenawee County Health Department. She can be contacted at 517-264-5263 or via email at julie.maurer@lenawee.mi.us.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Julie Maurer: Low-waste strategies for Memorial Day, summer cookouts