SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Spending more time at home means we could be creating more waste using items like water, food, or even paper products.
If you eat out many restaurants use eco-friendly to-go containers, and compostable silverware, and tableware.
While shoppers are hoarding paper towels, sustainable experts recommend you use dish towels.
“[Use] towels that you can use in your kitchen to clean up messes,” said Lauren Olson, Zero Waste Manager with World Centric.
Lauren Olson is part of a self-sustainable company that works to cut your carbon footprint. She said we can also cut down on plastic during this time, and avoid the disappointment of empty water aisles and use tap water.
“A lot of them [shoppers] had bottled water, and there is no reason for bottled water, particularly when you are at home,” said Olson.
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There are many ways to cut down on waste during the COVID-19 social distancing and California’s stay at home order.
“Something that I have been doing since being home all the time is learning how I want to rearrange my kitchen so it’s more efficient such as my recycling, composting, and my waste, so it’s easier to get to,” said Olson.
You can also build a compost for the garden you’ve always wanted to grow.
Compost needs to have three parts carbon known as brown material which can be leaves or branches and one part greens or nitrogen materials such as fruits and veggie scraps.
“You can compost cotton or organic cloth, you can compost dog or cat fur,” said Olson. “I think now more than ever we are building that self-resiliency and building community is a great way to go."
For more information check your city’s recycling and composting programs. The City of San Diego has a backyard composting guide.
