Environment

Plastic-Free July by Ruth Robinson

While I support “no plastic”, I am not there yet in my own home. How about we try “less plastic July”?

Some suggestions:

Got grand-kids? Do they like summer smoothies? Instead of plastic straws, try to find paper ones. Since that is nearly impossible, try re-usable straws, generally made of metal. You’ll need a tiny special brush to clean the straw, and these are usually right next to the metal straws at places like Whole Foods.

We see the stores starting to display Back to School items. Treat your kids or grands to metal lunch boxes. Not the kind we all had as kids, but the version that looks like a stainless steel bento box. Holds up very well, easy to rinse out at night. Mostly replaces the need to wrap up food in plastic wrap or baggies.

We all grocery shop and the yummy produce is so appealing in the summer. While I’ll bet most of us try and re-use the store’s produce plastic bags, maybe we could dump those in favor of mesh washable and reusable bags. You could buy them on Amazon or at many of our local stores, OR you could go to Joann’s and buy mesh fabric to sew up some. Directions on the internet, just search for “how to make mesh produce bags”. Perhaps get a start on the 2018 holidays and stitch up a bunch for gifts.

Mason jars (remember canning??) make great storage containers for many things.   That grain or rice you buy at the natural grocery store not only looks appealing in a glass jar, but is healthier for you in an easy to clean and non-plastic storage container. Bonus: keeps bugs out and doesn’t temp the little mice if your pantry shelf is in the garage.

Need a new dish brush? Check out the ones with wooden handles vs. plastic. They look so much better and less plastic in the house.

Speaker Series: Michael Ware of CCC

Supervising Manager, Michael Ware, of the Community Conservation Center, CCC  (also known as Berkeley Recycling) will speak at Arlington Community Church on Thursday April 12 at 7:00 PM.

Michael has been working for CCC since January 2016. In short, he is responsible for the smooth running of the various departments and constantly monitoring production and efficiency of employees and operations. 

Michael will speak briefly about the history of CCC, materials they take and process, what happens to the materials once they leave CCC, and some future plans for recycling. He will also talk about our role in the community along with our relationship with the City of Berkeley and Ecology Center.

Learn more about CCC by visiting www.berkeleyrecycling.org