Combine summer fun with environmental responsibility

Even with all on-the-go activities in the summer, busy families can still keep in mind the 3 Rs of trash – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – while enjoying the great outdoors. It’s true – you can include environmentally “low impact” behaviors while still having fun! Good guidelines to follow: Reduce the amount of stuff you take with you or buy. Reuse items, such as picnic wear, napkins and drink bottles. Avoid disposables that wind up in the trash, or even worse, as litter. Recycle wherever, whenever, whatever you can. If you can’t find recycling opportunities where you are, take the items home and put them in your recycling container there. Ask the facility or event if they would consider providing recycling containers. Camping or picnicking? Have a bag at your site to collect your recyclables. When hiking, remember the “pack it in, pack it out” rule. Return home with your empty cans and bottles in your backpack. When boating on the rivers or the lake, don’t “splash your trash.” Be sure to take all waste back to shore with you and put garbage, recyclables and compostable materials in the proper receptacles. Attending one of the Spokane area’s many outdoor events? Take your reusable water bottles to the event and find places to fill them there. Be sure to look for the blue containers for recycling aluminum cans and plastic bottles, and the green containers for recycling food scraps and food-soiled paper. If your favorite event doesn’t have recycling opportunities available, talk to the organizers. Tell them to contact Spokane Regional Solid Waste Event Recycling – email EventRecycling@spokanecity.org or call (509) 625-6525. Summer fun also happens at home. When having the gang over for a backyard barbeque, consider using washable plates and utensils, instead of the disposable variety. Be sure to recycle plastic, glass and aluminum beverage containers and use your clean green yard waste carts to recycle your food scraps along with food-soiled non-shiny paper products such as napkins. Keep plastic or plastic-coated items out of your yard waste cart, please! And having fun in the summer isn’t just about events, camping and parties – lots of folks enjoy gardening and yard care. You can recycle during these activities as well by composting brown and green materials – leaves, plant clippings, weeds, grass, pine needles and more. You’ll be helping nature to recycle and create a great soil amendment to add back into your garden. You can learn more about what and how to recycle, and more about home composting at www.solidwaste.org or www.facebook.com/talktrashspokane.