• Bring beverages in reusable mugs and/or reusable water bottles
• Use cloth napkins, real silverware, and washable dishes from home
• Use biodegradable or compostable plates and utensils
• Wrap your food in tin foil - which can be recycled if not greasy, wax paper - which can be composted, or food containers from home - which can be reused.
• Pack whole foods and try to avoid single serving and over-packaged foods
• If getting take-out, bring your own reusable food keepers for them to fill.
• In general, avoid plastic and Styrofoam

Biodegradable - means that the products break down through a naturally occurring microorganism, such as fungi or bacteria over a period of time. Biodegradable products are usually made from plant or animal sources. Biodegradable products can create methane, a greenhouse gas with 62 times the Global Warming Potential of carbon dioxide when dumped into landfills. Also, biodegradable waste may contain toxins.

Compostable plastics mean that the products must be able to break down into: carbon dioxide, water, and biomass at the same rate as paper. Also, the broken-down product should not produce any toxic material and should be able to support plant life. Compostable products are usually made from plant materials. Because biodegradable is used loosely with no legal enforced definition, compostability is more desirable for disposable products.

PLA stands for Polylactic acid and is made from corn starch. Regular plastic is made from petroleum that is a pollutant and has toxins, while PLA is derived from corn-based resin, which is non-toxic and a renewable resource. PLA is both 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable

DID YOU KNOW?

• Regular plastic takes approximately 400 years to degrade, leaving toxicity in the environment. PLA plastic biodegrades in less than 60 days, and is 100% biodegradable and compostable. It meets BPI Compostability standards.
• PLA plastic (corn) can’t be recycled  but will biodegrade in less than 60 days in a commercial composting facility. They can be placed in your composter at home but it will take much longer due to the lower temperatures they produce.

Expense:  25 compostable dinner plates for $8 compared to 25 Styrofoam plates for $3.19. 50 16-oz compostable cups for $9.50 compared to 50 16-oz plastic cups for $8.34

Reduce/reuse/recycle – reduce the amount that goes to the landfill, buy plates and utensils and napkins that you can reuse at all your picnics or parties, recycle cans and bottles.