Here are helpful ways you can go green by reducing your food waste, finding items around your home to reuse and taking your recycling to local bins in Indianapolis.
Reduce
4 ways to reduce food waste
Plan: Before going to the grocery store, make your shopping list by doing a quick inventory of what you have. Note expiration dates and perishables that are beginning to overstay their welcome and then build your next meal around that forgotten tomato or head of broccoli. Practice the same process but think longer shelf life for pantry items bought in bulk.
Rotate: When unpacking groceries, be sure to use the FIFO Method (First in first out) in the fridge, cabinets and pantry. Slip new items into the back of your fridge and finish the last of the OJ before you open that new container. Remember to rotate canned goods, too. When combining loose products like topping off your old cereal container with the new box, remember to pour the old on top of the new so that it’ll be used first.
Save spare ingredients for future meals: Plan to use the whole quart of buttermilk (or sour cream or heavy cream) you buy even though you need just one cup for the biscuits you’re making. You can also double the recipe and freeze half the meal to make them again later. Fry up the bologna or low-sodium turkey to serve with eggs after you’ve made a couple of sandwiches and you’re going away for the weekend. Remember to keep your eye on your eggs’ expiration date. Coming close? Make a quiche and pop it in the freezer. Portion bread when you buy a fresh loaf, wrap in foil, and freeze. Collect bits and pieces of vegetables to make stock.
Get it to-go: Although restaurants can legally donate qualifying excess food to organizations, you own the food you order and it isn’t going anywhere. Since many restaurants serve enough for two on each plate, don’t be shy about ordering a second appetizer instead of an entrée, sharing an entrée with your dining partner, or taking half of your food home to make a second meal.
Reuse
10 things you can reuse
Reuse your blankets and towels. Bring them to a local shelter that will be glad to put them to good use or use them as a soft, warm place for your animal to sit.
Reuse seeds from fruit and vegetables and try to grow them!
Use old plastic bags as garbage bags.
Cut used paper into squares to make scrap paper.
Reuse coffee that you don’t drink by putting it over ice and placing it in the fridge for an iced coffee later.
Reuse empty margarine and butter tubs by cleaning them and keeping them for plastic storage.
Reuse kiddie pool water on plants and shrubs.
Make your own checker set by using old bottle caps.
Reuse old curtains as rags for cleaning your car.
Use old food scraps as compost for your lawn.
Recycle
Curbside recycling
The City of Indianapolis offers curbside recycling to all Indianapolis residents. The curbside program is offered on a subscription basis at $6 per month. In most cases, when households subscribe to this service, they receive a 96-gallon rolling cart for the placement and collection of recyclable materials by trucks with automated pick-ups.
Materials that can be placed in the carts include: glass, plastic, aluminum, tin, and steel beverage and food cans, newspapers, cardboard and magazines.
For more information, contact Republic Waste Services of Indiana, 832 Langsdale Ave., or call them at (317) 917-7300.
Drop off locations
All around town, often located in shopping center parking lots or other convenient locations, you will find large green or blue Recycle Indianapolis Drop-Off containers with a city logo. You can place your recyclable items into any of these recycling containers free of charge.
Some locations include: Sam’s Club, 3015 W. 86th St.; Beck Service Center, 6025 Madison Ave.; Brookside Park, 3500 Brookside Pkwy. S. Drive; and Kroger, 8150 Rockville Road.
Sources: realsimple.com; squidoo.com; Indy.gov.
