July 4th is one of the funnest days of the year – cookouts and fireworks abound, and everyone has a grand old time celebrating our country. A lot of people go on vacation, but a lot of us are staying in town at friends’ parties that can create a lot of waste. But it doesn’t mean that it has to be a postconsumer nightmare! Here are a few tips to keep your Independence Day a little more responsible:
BYOC(up)
I’ve been doing this the past few years – I’ll bring my own unique cup to hold my drinks in. That way I don’t lose it, and it’s completely different from the cups everyone else is using. If you’re the one throwing the party, suggest that people bring their own cups instead of buying wasteful plastic cups from the store. I’ve seen people go through countless of those red plastic cups in an evening, and they can really add up in the landfills.
Watch the fireworks, don’t buy them
Another thing that stacks up in the trash is used fireworks that go straight to the landfill. They’re not made of sustainable materials, so don’t add to it by buying any! Besides, there might be people on every street setting off their own fireworks.
Be mindful of waste – and drinking
Instead of buying packaged food for your party, just make your own finger foods and use your own containers to hold them in. Besides, some of the best dips and sauces are homemade anyway! And think about bringing your own silverware to the party to reduce the use of plastic forks, knives, and spoons. As always, if you imbibe, make sure you are mindful of what that means – if the party has beer, is it from a reuseable keg? And drink moderately! Having too much to drink can turn a good night very, very bad – very quickly!
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