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Tips for environmentally friendly shopping
Bring your own bags to the supermarket/cafe/restaurant to carry your shopping and takeout items home.
When buying refrigerated or frozen goods, bring a soft sided cooler to transport your items home.
Eggs: when given the choice, buy packaged in a compostable paper carton (not a plastic one).
Buy your milk in glass bottles instead of waxed cartons with plastic cap. Most stores offer a refund for returning them. If your store does not carry it, ask the manager to. Stores are happy to hear suggestions from their customers!
When possible, buy bulk. Outfit your kitchen with some simple glass jars for storing these foods. Avoid buying individually packaged goods. All of this packaging ends up as waste. It does not magically dissapear.
Tips for environmentally friendly days
Use a reusable coffee/tea cup.
Do not use single-use cups and lids.
Use a reusable water bottle. Do not buy single-use plastic water bottles.
Carry your own cutlery. Bilions of plastic forks, knives and spoons are thrown away each year.
Use biodegradeable dog poop and kitty litter disposal baggies
Use a stapleless stapler
Compost. Use your own kitchen counter or backyard composter, or compost bins provided by your town or city.
A simple small bucket or compostable bag in your kitchen to hold all your food scraps will eliminate the need to use plastic bags to line your trash bin.
Food packaging and other dry waste can go directly into your home trash bin, then be emptied into a building, home or town trash receptacle. No plastic bag to line trash bin is needed.
Use your in-sink garbage disposal. Feed carrot tops and other greens you aren't planning to eat to your local animals. Do not throw food in the garbage.
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New for NYC residents: there are now over 200 Smart Composting Bins, orange in color and sealed, located on the streets of NYC! Read more here and do your share. Not in New York? Reach out to your local Department of Sanitation to get an update about how to compost in your community!
Turn off your engine if you are idling more than 10 seconds. Choose walking, bicycling, using a kick scooter, or public transportation whenever possible over driving.
Environmentally friendly home
Clean your home using cotton rags. Simply use, wash and use again. Do not use paper towels. Think of how our ancestors homes were cleaned.
Use a drying rack whenever possible. Use dryer only when absolutely necessary.
Use only powder and soap detergents. Do not buy laundry detergent in plastic bottles.
Plastic spray and squeeze bottles can be used for years. Consider refilling with concentrated soap and cleaners, just mix with water.
Use compostable paper tape.
Compost. Use your own kitchen counter composter, backyard composter , or compost bins provided by your town or city.
A simple bucket or compostable bag in your kitchen to hold all your food scraps will eliminate the need to use plastic bags to line your trash bin.
Food packaging and other dry waste can go directly into your home trash bin , and then be emptied into building, home or town trash receptacle.
Use your in-sink garbage disposal. Feed carrot tops and other greens you aren't planning to eat to your local animals. Do not throw food in the garbage. Just 1kg of food waste produces carbon emissions equivalent to landfilling 25,000 plastic bottles. Source: Zero Waste Scotland
Environmentally friendly neighborhood
Are your favorite restaurants using environmentally-friendly packaging for take-out like compostable paper or aluminum containers? If not, gently encourage them to.
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When ordering, say no to plastic cutlery , and individually packaged condiments unless absolutely needed.
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Carry your own cutlery. Did you know, this used to be commonplace? Read more here.
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If food is delivered in plastic bags, whenever possible, take only the food. If picking up, bring your own bags.
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