The Zero Waste Bar-B-Que Challenge

10 Tips for How to Host a Zero Waste BBQ or Outdoor Party

 

If you are trying to be more environmentally responsible and are concerned about your personal impact on the environment, hosting backyard parties and bar-b-ques can be a nightmare when you consider the laundry list of waste they produce: paper plates, plastic cups and leftovers that go bad before they can be eaten.

But it IS possible to make your next family cookout or backyard dinner party an eco-friendly, or zero-waste affair!

 

Even if you can only apply some of these tips to "green-ify" your event, you will be helping to reduce the environmental impact from your party more than you know.

Check out our list of 10 tips and tricks for hosting a great (and green) summer bash!

Are you up for the challenge???? 

 

**We want to see your party!!!**
Send pictures of your fresh ideas and your own 'Zero Waste BBQ Challenge Party' to recyclefun@adsimail.com throughout the summer! We'd love to see your success!

 

Preparation:

 

 

1.  Use Waste-Free Party Invitations

When planning a zero-waste outdoor party, avoiding paper invites is best, as sending them through the mail makes for the usage of more fuel and a bigger carbon footprint for your gathering. Not to mention, it eliminates the need for paper waste altogether.

E-mailed invitations are the way to go to these days, so don't hesitate to invite guests via email or even social media to eliminate unnecessary waste.

If e-mail and Facebook are too impersonal for your event, try invites printed on plantable seed cards that are made from recycled materials. This adds the extra summertime touch of allowing guests to plant the invitation after adding the party to their calendar!

 

2.  Avoid Packaged Foods

Buy and serve fresh foods to your guests. After all, fresh fare on the grill is part of the joy of outdoor entertaining.

Food packaging can add to the accumulation of waste at your intended 'waste-free party'. If you have no choice but to purchase packaged foods, make sure the packaging is recyclable.

Try shopping for your menu at the local farmers market, and don't forget your reusable bag!

 

 

 

 

3. Avoid Bottled Water/Beverages

Instead of purchasing water in disposable bottles, serve water infused with lemons, oranges, limes or cucumbers in a large re-usable glass drink dispenser. 

These are attractive, affordable and easy to find. Try browsing Walmart or Target!

Your guests will love the look and taste of the water flavored with summery fruits or vegetables!

If you intend to serve adult beverages, you can also serve pre-made simple cocktails, "hard lemonade", sangria and even wine in these dispensers- fun for guests and green for you!

 

Decoration:

 

4.  Try Renting Your Supplies

Here are just some examples of party supplies you can rent from most party rental companies:

•  Tables and Chairs
•  Tablecloths and napkins
•  Drink dispensers
•  Cold beverage containers
•  Plates, bowls, drinking glasses and coffee cups
•  Dining and serving utensils

Or you can...

 

5.  Use Compostable Utensils and Plates

These plates, bowls, cups (and more) can be placed directly into your backyard compost bin, or local composting location after the party, which makes cleanup a breeze and ensures that your party will send less waste to your local landfill.  

6.  Use a Cloth Tablecloth &  Re-Usable Decorations

This may seem like a small point but it can make all the difference in the atmosphere! There's something about a tablecloth that makes any dinner look stylish and beautiful. Try jelly jars or old wine bottles as flower vases for the table.

Get creative for a breezy and eclectic summer vibe!  

 

Party Time:

 

7.  Metal skewers are useful and versatile

Use these grilling staples for vegetables and meat. You won't have to soak them ahead of time or deal with splinters in your food. Use little metal skewers instead of toothpicks to serve finger foods then simply wash and reuse.

 

8. Use the Two Bin System

Place a Single Stream Recycling receptacle next to every trash can at your party. Odds are if you give your guests the option to recycle next to the trash, they will properly choose the correct container for disposal of their waste.

9.  Remind Guests of your Zero Waste Plan
 

Telling everyone about the "Zero Waste BBQ Challenge" you are trying out at the event will make your guests feel involved and challenged themselves!  

Don't be surprised if they are eager to help and even offer some suggestions on how to stay green.

 

10.  Send leftovers home with your guests (*in reusable mason jars)

You will be reducing waste and they will be happy to have seconds for later. If you can't convince them (unlikely!) be sure to compost any leftover food scraps.

 

National Garbage Man Day 2015: Why we appreciate our dedicated and hardworking garbage and recycling men (and women) SO MUCH, and why you should too!

June 17th is National Garbage Man Day and American would like to take a moment to Appreciate the men and women who make our world a little cleaner and greener!

 

National Garbage Man Day comes every year and to all of us here at American it is a very important day. It's a chance to say thanks for all that our employees out on our trucks do every single day!

Last year we dedicated a blog to appreciating our hard working men and women on the trucks and behind the wheel. This year, we would like to revisit that article, as a reminder to you, and in honor of them!

 

Do you know your garbage man? It’s ok if you don’t. When we’re rushing around in the morning on our way to a hectic day at work the man picking up our trash and recycling is usually the last thing on our mind.

Yet every week they are there, they come to your house and empty those bins at the curb. However, that is only a TINY fraction of what these incredible men do every day: rain or shine, heat or snow, and often times with no recognition.

 

I have personally met all 348 of our “Garbage Men” (“Our Guys” as we lovingly refer to them) and I can tell you: they are some of the hardest working, most dedicated people I’ve ever met.

 

This blog is in praise of those men. It’s our way of introducing you, and telling you about all the amazing things they do for American, for you, but most of all; why we appreciate them so much. There is no better day to sing their praises, then on National Garbage Man Day.

 

 

 

The Facts: AKA: What our guys do EVERY DAY

 

They get up (REALLY) early:

A garbage/recycling man’s day starts in the middle of the night. Commercial drivers often start their route before 2am.

Depending on the length and difficulty of their route, some work surprisingly long days and once they return home to their families they often have to go straight to bed in order to get up that early the next day too.

And that work cycle….repeats, repeats, repeats.

 

They work (REALLY HARD) in ALL the Seasons:

Picking up and dumping trash bins over and over for hours every day is physically taxing to say the LEAST, but when you throw extreme temperatures into the mix it becomes even more dangerous.

In the summer, the guys have to stay constantly hydrated in order to avoid heatstroke (a VERY serious risk for them in the hot months) and in the winter, they must be sure to take precautions to avoid frostbite (a VERY serious risk in the cold months).

Risky Business…AKA:  It’s a Dangerous Job

If you look up the 10 most dangerous jobs in America, you will ALWAYS find refuse and recycling collectors on there.

The profession has been as high as #3 in the past. Last year it was #6 according to Time magazine, this year, the fatality rate has risen even higher for 2015, check out #5 in this article of the11 Most Dangerous Jobs

If you don’t believe me, add this to the mix: According to a Time Magazine article, Hazardous Material, Heavy Equipment, and Road Incidents are the top reason this career makes the list every year.

Speaking of the "Most Dangerous" list: Refuse and Recycling Collectors beat out Construction Workers, Truck Drivers (yes, even ICE road truck drivers), Farm Workers and Powerline Installers-

All just to pick up your trash.

 

 

‘Ride Alongs'

Yes, I’ve ridden on the back of a trash truck. EVERY SINGLE ONE of American employees have. They are called “Ride Alongs” and they are required in our training when we are hired here at American.

It is vitally important to our owners (who started as “Garbage Men” themselves) that we all experience what our guys do, first hand. Not only so we get a better understanding of how each aspect of the company works, but also so we fully appreciate how hard these men work and really understand what they do.

Every employee goes on not one, not two, but THREE "Ride Alongs": One Rear Load (Residential) one Front Load (Commercial) and one Roll-off.

That means each and every one of us (from dispatch, to accounting to managers and directors) has gotten up in the middle of the night, came to the office, and hopped in a trash truck alongside the driver-and stayed with them for their entire day.

 

 

These "Ride Alongs" are an enlightening, and awe inspiring experience. I kept a journal during my three days, and although we do not participate in the actual LABOR on the Ride Alongs (driving the truck, picking up the bins etc.) I was honestly exhausted after just those three days.

It boggled my mind how these men could do this day in and day out, and still greet me with a smile every time I saw them coming back to the office at the end of the day.

 

 

The Ride Along experience forever changed my perception - I understood why it was so important that we all participate in the Ride Alongs, and to this day I respect and admire “our guys”,  as well as ALL refuse and recycling collection workers, more than most of the people I’ve ever met.

 

BBQs & Pizza Parties

So how do we show all our appreciation?  The third Thursday of every month, American employees host a BBQ (in the summer months) or Pizza Party for “our guys.”

Volunteers from every department get on the grills (in the summer), set out the coleslaw, cookies, Gatorades and chips; or Pizza (in the autumn and winter when it’s too cold outside for the grill), and serve them food all day long. 

 

 

Whether they are between routes, or coming back to the office when they are done, they are free to come and go as many times as they like. It’s our small gift to show them that they are appreciated. Without our American “Garbage Men” there would be NO American, it’s as simple as that.

 

So the next time you see the American truck picking up your trash or recycling be sure to say Hi to the incredibly dedicated and hardworking men in the truck, and thank them for all that they do!

 

As always, thanks for reading!