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Fall into the Holiday Season with Zero Waste Parties!

October 30, 2014
While the leaves are turning into brilliant shades of orange, red and yellow, let's not forget ways to keep our community green. With school, family and neighborhood holiday parties on the horizon, it's easy to purchase single-use, wasteful items as last-minute solutions. When planning your next bash, keep the 5Rs in mind and let Bea Johnson's book Zero Waste Home influence your choices with these five principles of waste reduction.
 
REFUSE
  • Teach and remind your friends and family to only accept items they really want when it comes to candy and party favors. Rather than filling toy boxes with plastic trinkets that will later end up in the garbage, politely decline items that are not desired.
  • Surprise and delight your party guests with reusuable, recyclable and edible items! Choosing festive treats like caramel apples or pumpkin cupcakes instead of landfill toys are not only more delicious, but better for the environment and help reduce clutter.
  • Consider the packaging when purchasing for gatherings. Avoid items individually-wrapped in plastic or Styrofoam™ and instead buy products wrapped in easy-to-recycle materials such as cardboard or paper.
  • Visit us at the Recology CleanScapes store for unique party favor packaging ideas like canning jars and reusable napkins.
REDUCE
  • There's no need to store decorations in your house year round or rush out to buy new products. Local thrift stores sell gently used holiday items that can spruce up your home without breaking the bank.
  • Think about gathering natural items from outside like leaves
  • and corn stalks, visiting a pumpkin patch or hosting a decoration swap to enhance your house or office with a festive look. Some squashes used for decor can later be prepared as part of a seasonal recipe!
  • Carve a pumpkin or watermelon into a brain, bake sugar cookies in the shape of bones, or craft a skeleton out of plastic milk jugs.
REUSE
  • Participate in a local costume swap. Near the Recology CleanScapes store in Issaquah, there's one community swap at Blakely Hall and another at Small Threads Kids Consignment Shop. If you missed these fun, free events this year, check out the National Costume Swap website for more information about swaps in your area. Be sure to mark your calendar for next Halloween!
  • Reuse paper shopping bags, pillow cases, empty paint buckets, or cloth shopping bags for trick-or-treat sacks. Get creative!
RECYCLE
  • Place metal, glass, cardboard, paper and plastic products that are recyclable in your blue bin!
  • Research local options for recycling special items. The Recology CleanScapes store in Issaquah accepts items such as batteries, fluorescent light bulbs and tubes, unusable clothing, broken appliances, electronics and Styrofoam™ for recycling.
ROT
  • Compost all food, including meat, bones, dairy products, fruits and vegetable scraps from parties.
  • Choose compostable plates and utensils and toss those along with other food-soiled paper products like napkins and paper towels in the green bin.