How to enjoy a zero waste BBQ!

It's National BBQ Week! With the sun set to be shining this is the official green light for bbq season to hit full swing! Great, but with each bbq season comes hoards of single use plastic and worse still our open green spaces strewn with the stuff as revellers fail to take their rubbish home with them. So whether you’re heading to your local park or having one in the garden we've got some tips for you to enjoy a more environmentally friendly bbq and perhaps even a zero waste one.

1. The BBQ itself - this is more for those of you taking your bbq on the road and out of the house.

Disposable bbqs are the very definition of throwaway culture - costing a few quid and completely non recyclable or compostable. They are literally designed to be thrown away and end up straight in landfill. Some local authorities have taken the decision to ban the use of single use bbqs but we need government to go a step further and banning them from production, sale and use across the UK is the way forward!

As a fan of camping and a good old bbq we have invested in a reusable portable bbq - and it’s already paid for itself. 

But if you're not quite ready to invest yet, check out @casusgrilluk . They offer an eco friendly alternative to the disposable bbqs we see piling up on our beaches, parks and landfills. Fully biodegradable and made of natural materials and costing just a few pounds each.

Go a step further and make changes to the kind of materials you're using to cook your food. Kindwood offer a sustainable and eco-friendly kiln dried wood and kindling! Each log is supplied from within 80 miles of their base and they use hessian sacks and reusable crates to deliver their wood.  

2. Ditch Disposable

Reusable bamboo plates and cups are a great safe alternative to single use plastic without resorting to glass. 

Reusable cutlery like these hand-carved eco-friendly coconut wood knives, spoons and forks are made from coconut trees that no longer bear fruit. Utilising this material that would otherwise be discarded helps to reduce unnecessary waste.

If you're heading out of the house, reuse old tupperware to get your food from A to B. 

The UK consumes approximately 8.5 billion plastic straws per year. For an item that is used for only a few minutes that's a lot of plastic. In fact, 3,570 tonnes of straws are sent to landfill every year. Plastic straws really suck so choose to reuse instead! There are plenty of great alternatives out there from steel and bamboo to those made of pasta! Check out our reusable steel straws.

3. Buy local, unpackaged food

According to Green Peace supermarkets are responsible for 1.2 BILLION plastic bags for fruit and veg. Seasonal fruit & veg have all the vitamins and nutrients that our body needs in that particular season. Nutrients in your produce will decline over time so by eating seasonally you’re more likely to get the full nutritional benefit from it. They’re also more affordable as they are more abundant at the right times. 

Hit up your local butcher, bakery or greengrocer or better yet, try growing your own!

4. Look after your leftovers

Avoid all that cling film and foil by wrapping up your left overs in reusable wax wraps

We can't express this enough PLEASE PLEASE take home whatever you leave the house with! This is an easy ask and the first step in having less of an impact on the environment. 

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