Make Your Family Barbeque a Little Greener

A barbeque is a great, fun way to spend a day with family and friends. Unfortunately, the disposable plates, cups, and flatware, as well as the copious amounts of charcoal lighter fluid many of us use are not exactly Earth-friendly. With a few simple, painless changes, your next cookout can be fun and green.

Use Reusable Dishes and Utensils

Disposable dishes and flatware are convenient, but they clutter our landfills and take hundreds of years to decompose. A better option is to use normal, everyday cups, plates, and flatware at your barbeque. If you’re worried about breakage, you can purchase inexpensive plastic plates and cups, and simply wash and store them until your next cookout.

Kick the Lighter Fluid Habit

What’s a cookout without some burgers and hotdogs sizzling on the grill? There is a greener way to barbeque, too. The lighter fluid that so many of us use to start our charcoal is petroleum-based, which means not only is it non-renewable, but it releases harmful compounds into the atmosphere as it burns. A better option is to buy a steel charcoal chimney. This is basically a metal tube with a handle. You fill the  top part of the chimney with the charcoal, and crumple a couple sheets of newspaper and put them in the bottom part. Simply light the newspaper, let the coals get red hot, dump them in the grill, and you’re good to go. The chimney is virtually indestructible, so you’ll have it for years to come.

These tips will help you have a greener cookout. And, don’t forget to recycle all of those bottles and cans!