Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to celebrate with our family and friends and express gratitude for what we have been blessed with. This holiday season, let’s also show our gratitude and bless the planet by rethinking, reusing, reducing, and recycling with these quick and simple tweaks:

Rethink:

Instead of plastic decorations, adorn your home with items from nature such as pumpkins, acorns, pinecones, walnuts in the shell, and colorful leaves. These can all be composted or put in your green bin.

Zero waste hostess gifts: homemade baked goods or granola in a repurposed tin, plants for the garden, beeswax wraps, homemade soaps, or candles.

Reuse:

Plan ahead for your gift wrapping! Instead of filling up your trash can with gift wrapping and ribbon find inspiration from items you already have such as paper bags, vintage maps, fabric, reusable grocery bags, newspaper with colorful ads, containers such as glass jars or tins, and children’s artwork.

Embellish with twine, dried herbs, dried fruit, a stick of cinnamon, strips of cloth, pinecones, or a scarf from the thrift store.

Use reusable or borrow rather than buy. Choose reusable leftover containers, borrow extra dishes and platters, and special bakeware. If you’re going to someone’s house, bring a reusable container for leftovers.

Reduce:

Shop for items that have reduced packaging. Look for products with packaging that is minimal and/or recyclable. Bring your reusable shopping bags with you to the store.

We live in a county brimming with wonderful Farmers’ Markets. Consider buying from these markets to reduce the impact of shipping and packaging. Also, when you buy locally-sourced ingredients, you are investing in your community.

Avoid disposable single-use plastics like glasses, plates, and cutlery as they generate a lot of non-recyclable waste. Instead, use dishes, silverware, and cloth napkins.

Recycle:

Put your kitchen scraps in the green cart. Keeping this waste out of the landfill doesn’t just save space, it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Recycle all paper, plastic, and glass containers that you can.

From All Of Us At The San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority –  To All Our Customers, Vendors And Friends, Happy Thanksgiving And Thank You For Your Support Over The Past Year. We Are Grateful To Serve You!