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Do you ever find yourself at the French Broad River staring at piles of plastic litter wondering what you can do to stop this?  Asheville GreenWorks and our sister page, Going Plastic Free, are here to help you make this happen! Mind Your Plastic May is a month-long campaign to inform you about the grave social and environmental harms that ensue from plastic waste and equip you with the knowledge to reduce plastic in your own life.  

All month long, we will be sharing plastic reduction tips, volunteer opportunities to address plastic waste, educational materials featuring local Asheville businesses, and much more. We aim to foster knowledge and encourage mindfulness around plastic consumption and disposal for individuals and business owners. This month, we hope you will follow us on Facebook and Instagram, where you will gain valuable knowledge about how to refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle plastics, as well as learn about local waste reduction efforts.

Join our 
Race2Reduce and commit to decreasing your plastic usage for the entire month of May. Sign up here to join the challenge and earn points to win a $25/$50/$75 gift card to Ware!

Many thanks to the businesses and restaurants who supported this effort and are working hard to reduce their own plastic waste. #goingplasticfree

Join us in our love for the planet as we
 address and defeat our global plastic addition.
Donate now for a plastic-free future
Mind Your Plastic May is meant to encourage and challenge us in our journey to live plastic free. These posts are created by GreenWorks staff. If you've found these posts helpful and encouraging, please consider making a donation to support this work. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

Plastic Reduction at the Restaurant

5/21/2019

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We often associate plastic waste with to-go dining, but there can also be plastic waste generated while dining-in at restaurants. Keep reading to learn some simple plastic-reduction solutions for dining in at your favorite restaurant!

Straws
Regardless of where you go, you can pretty much expect plastic straws to be offered. The first step is refuse, by telling your server you do not care for a straw with your drink. If you enjoy using straws, you can bring your own alternative straw. Metal, glass or bamboo straws are available locally and can be ordered online.

Plastic Utensils
If you are dining at a quick, casual restaurant, there is a possibility that plastic silverware will be offered. Try to come to these restaurants prepared with reusable bamboo or metal silverware, or ask if they have metal silverware you can use.
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​Dining with Kids
When dining out with children, consider the plastic that may come with their order. Often times kid’s beverages come in a plastic cup with a straw. An easy first-step would be to ask your server to not bring straws for their cups. One step further would be to bring your own clean, kid-friendly cup, and request the server fill your cups from home with their drinks.
Bottled Water
Choose tap water over bottled water when given the choice. This eliminates the use of a single-use plastic water bottle AND saves money on your bill. Besides, typically tap water is the same or higher quality than what is found in bottled water.

Leftovers
If you think you might have leftovers, grab a reusable container from your home to bring to the restaurant. By coming prepared, you are not forced to decide between leaving your leftovers at the restaurant and taking a single-use to-go container home with you.
​

Vote With Your Dollar
​
Some restaurants are already taking steps to a plastic-free dining room, by stocking compostable single-use products, not offering straws, and other waste-reduction strategies such as composting food waste and using renewable energy. Do your research to find out which businesses in your community are already taking the steps to be environmentally responsible and plastic-free, and support these businesses!
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Sincerely,
Julia Krebs-Moberg
Waste Reduction Education Coordinator
Asheville GreenWorks
AmeriCorps Project Conserve

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    Staff from Asheville GreenWorks, volunteers from the Plastic Reduction Task Force, as well as other guest writers who are advocates and friends.

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​Asheville GreenWorks is a 501(c)3 non-profit environmental organization, governed by a Board of Directors. Established in 1973, GreenWorks mission is to inspire, equip and mobilize individuals and communities to take care of the places we love to live.
  • Pollination Celebration
  • Donate
  • Hard 2 Recycle
  • Get Involved
    • Internships
    • Sponsorship
    • Volunteer
    • Wish List
    • Youth Environmental Leadership Program >
      • YELP Staff & Alumni
      • How to Apply
  • Programs
    • Bee City USA Asheville >
      • Native Pollinator Plants and Nurseries
      • Pollinator Garden Certification
      • Pollinator Gardens & Meadows Project
    • Education
    • Urban Forestry >
      • Cool Green Asheville
      • Food Tree Project
      • RRI
      • Tree Nursery
      • Treasured Trees >
        • Treasured Trees Calendar
    • Rivers & Roads >
      • Adopt-a-Street
      • Clean Streams Day
      • Cleanup Supply Stations
      • Trash Trout
    • Waste Reduction >
      • Asheville Bag Monster
      • Composting Information
      • Flip Your Lid
      • Plastics Reduction Task Force
      • Recycling Information
  • Upcoming Events
  • About
    • Job Openings
    • History
    • Staff/ Contact
  • Newsletter
  • Blog Roll
    • Latest News
    • Mind Your Plastic May
    • Protect our Pollinators
    • Voice for the Trees