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In celebration of the Traverse City Cherry Festival and the warm days ahead, we wanted to highlight one of our favorite summer activities. For many, picnicking in a park or near Lake Michigan is a summer tradition. In keeping with our #getoffthebottle campaign and dedication to reducing our single-use plastic footprint, we've made some easy swaps to make your family's picnic zero waste.
Happy picnicking!
Zero waste picnic
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Before: sandwich, chips, pear, carrots, fruit salad, cookies, water
Typical picnic
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Before: sandwich, chips, pear, carrots, fruit salad, cookies, water
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After: Tupperware, reusable water bottle, cloth napkins, metal silverware
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After: plastic wrappers, single-use plastic bags, single use-plastic water bottle, plastic silverware, paper napkins
We were really surprised at how much trash we generated from what we thought would be a pretty low-impact picnic. Some of these items can be recycled (bottle, some of the plastic containers), but it's not always easy to find a recycling bin, and often these items end up in the trash. We hope that these images make us think twice about our plastic footprint.
Tips for a zero waste picnic:
- Plan out foods that don’t need a lot of waste.
- Finger foods make great picnic fare! Sandwiches, crackers, cheese and meats, whole fruit and vegetables, cookies.
- Bring an apple and an orange instead of a pre-cut fruit salad that you would eat with a fork.
- If you do want a salad (greens, potato, pasta, etc), put it in a tupperware and bring your own reusable forks and spoons.
- Be creative in packaging like putting chips or crackers in a tupperware container (versus a single use plastic bag), or wrapping items in a cloth.
- Bring your own water bottle filled with water or a summer drink, like lemonade or tea.
- Make sure not to leave any trash behind & recycle what you can!