This article originally appears in the Mueller Front Porch Flyer April 2021 edition. Bulk Buying Buying in bulk can help you save money and resources. Buying in bulk can mean two different things: 1) buying loose items from bulk bins in stores and 2) buying larger quantity packages. With COVID, some stores have either closed…
We had our first ice cream cone of the year today. I recommend when you are getting ice cream or gelato to order it in a cone if you can so you can eat your “container,” and compost the hand wrapper and/or napkins. Most ice cream cups are plastic-lined paper and go in the trash.…
I was craving brownies Friday so I bought a mix while I was out. Not all baking mixes come in the opaque bag that you can rinse, dry and recycle with plastic bags. Some mixes come in the silvery bag that goes in the trash. You get a feel for the possibility or you learn…
April is Earth Month. As an extension of Earth Day, it gives us a bigger window to think about and make changes that will impact our Earth, today and in the future. The theme of Earth Day 2021 is Restore Our Earth™. There are a lot of areas we can focus on this month, not…
Coconut scrubbers are super easy to use, gentle but effective on all my pans and dishes (no scratches), and can be composted when they’re past usefulness. You don’t have to recycle a metal scrubber at a special location like a scrap metal collector or recycling center, or in a special program, and it’s not like…
Disclaimer: I bought this food myself and the opinions are my own. We’re going to talk about cheese today. I love it! I had to put that out there. I also live in the state of tacos, nachos, quesadillas and more. I don’t want to say cheese is life, but it could be considered part…
All opinions stated are my own and I purchased these cookies myself. I’m going to start sharing examples of letters and inquiries I make to companies. I hope this gives you some helpful examples, both of decisions you can make and letters you may write. Our family loves chocolate sandwich cookies. Normally we only buy…
Coat your veggies for roasting or marinate foods in a reusable container. Glass will hold up longer and wash cleaner than plastic so keep that in mind. After you pour out the food, wipe extra oil or marinade out with toilet paper (which we all should have) to avoid clogging the dishwasher or disposal. This…
Don’t forget to recycle your food plastic bags. With COVID is can be harder to get items from bulk bins in brick and mortar stores right now. If you use something enough, try to find it in buckets or recyclable or compostable larger packages. If you do get small packages please make sure you recycle…
If you purchase packaged snacks, I recommend you start getting familiar with the How2Recycle label. This label is showing up on more and more products. It is usually on the bottom of an item or near the barcode. It will tell you the parts of the product’s packaging and how to deal with each piece.…