Enjoy A Wastefree Picnic With These Sustainable Lifestyle Tips

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No plastic. No paper. No trash. Just a great zero-waste picnic outdoors with these sustainable lifestyle tips.

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When the sun is out and summer is in full swing, how many of us fall in love with picnics? Aside from enjoying the beauty of the outdoors, we can also be creative with menus and how the meal will be served. On a downward note, picnics can also damage the beautiful landscapes we seek out if we aren’t mindful of how we dispose of our trash. Raise your hand if you’ve ever used, plastic bags, straws, paper napkins, and plates. But, do you know that these single-use products aren’t beneficial to the environment, even if you do throw them away? There is a better way to enjoy nature and this article will offer picnic ideas that will help you to reduce waste and enjoy that you can enjoy and protect lush landscapes.

Pick The Right Getaway Bag

So Young Lunch Bags are made from a linen / cotton exterior and BPA plastic lining $19 — So Young Lunch Bags are made from a linen / cotton exterior and BPA-free plastic lining $20

Business & Pleasure The Premium Cooler Bag is made from Cotton 40%, Polyester 40%, Recycled PVC 15%, and Leather 5%. $79

Mark & Graham Promenade Picnic Tote Set For 2 is a handwoven willow and cotton canvas picnic tote with reinforced leatherette handles $79

Burke Decor Large Picnic Cooler Basket Natural is made from Willow, PLA, Cotton, Aluminum, Foam, Metal, Wood (Sapele) $250 — Burke Decor Large Picnic Cooler Basket Natural is made from Willow, PLA, Cotton, Aluminum, Foam, Metal, and Wood (Sapele) $250

Skip plastic bags for luxe adult lunch bags, picnic baskets, and linen totes. Brands like So Young and Business & Pleasure offer linen styles that come in an array of soft prints and are insulated to keep food fresh until your destination. Plus, they’re well-made bags that you’ll look chic carrying again and again.

*While paper bags are recyclable and biodegradable, they still require 4x times as much energy to produce than plastic bags and have a shorter lifespan than both plastic and cloth bags. So invest in cloth bags or reusable baskets to have an item that you can use for years to come to reduce waste.

Pack Reusable

Williams Sonoma Bright Jacquard Napkins, Set of 4 are made from OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 cotton $34.95

Quince European Linen Stripe Napkins are woven from European Flax and are STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified $30

Pottery Barn Organic Cotton Casual Napkins are made from organic cotton Certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard $20

Swell Cutlery Set is made from high-grade stainless steel $18

Stasher, Reusable Half Gallon & Sandwich Bundle are made from BPA-free silicone $40

Bee's Wrap Snack & Sandwich Bags are made with organic cotton, plant-based wax, organic plant oil, and tree resin $15 — Bee’s Wrap Snack & Sandwich Bags are made with organic cotton, plant-based wax, organic plant oil, and tree resin $15

From the moment you purchase reusable napkins, flatware, or sandwich bags, buying single-use plastic items will seem silly in hindsight. These items will come in handy for picnics and snacks on the go for years to come.

*Plastic bags can take 500 years to decompose and more than a billion single-use plastic bags are given out yearly.

Bring Something Organic

Under the Canopy Color Block Marled Organic Throw is made from 100% GOTS-certified cotton $88 (Sale $35)

Under the Canopy Organic Channel Stitch Matelasse Blanket is made from 100% organic cotton and OEKO-TEX certified dyes $118 ($59) — Under the Canopy Organic Channel Stitch Matelasse Blanket is made from 100% organic cotton and OEKO-TEX-certified dyes. $118 ($59)

Coyuchi Mariposa Supersoft Organic Cotton Blanket is made from 100% organic cotton is grown in Turkey + woven in Germany $268- $328

Further, reduce plastic waste and opt for an organic cotton picnic blanket. It might surprise you to know that most picnic blankets are made from polyester. This plastic-based material breaks off into microplastics in your washer machine. By choosing a natural material like organic cotton, you’re reducing plastic waste and supporting a material whose crop is better for the environment than its conventional counterpart.

Clean Up… Sustainably

Grove Co. Tree-Free Reusable Paper Towels - 100% Bamboo are made from bamboo and can be resued for up to 1 week. $14- 12 — Grove Co. Tree-Free Reusable Paper Towels – 100% Bamboo are made from bamboo and can be resued for up to 1 week. $14- 12

Free the Ocean Unpaper Towels are made from 100% cotton flannel $17

Zero Waste Store Reusable Paper Towels - 100% Organic Cotton are compostable and biodegradable $25 — Zero Waste Store Reusable Paper Towels – 100% Organic Cotton are compostable and biodegradable $25

Using cloth paper towels might take some time to become accustomed to if you’re used to pulling off a roll and tossing it into the trash after cleaning up a spill. But, once you realize just how little waste you’re creating, you’ll never want to go back to single-use products again.

*Pro tip, to avoid having a soiled paper towel mingle with your clean food, bring an extra sandwich bag to place the dirty towels in.

And Compost, Recycle And Trash When You’re Home

Typhoon Living Compost Caddy is made from alloy steel. $40

Bamboozle Bamboo Compost Bin is made from bamboo fiber and is biodegradable $40

Alasaw Noaway Countertop Wood Compost Bin is made from walnut or magnolia wood with a metal lid. $160- $205

More often than not there won’t be a recyclable or compostable bin when you’re out in nature. Bring extra reusable bags with you to store food scraps so that you can transport and safely dump them at home. This little sustainable lifestyle tip will help to ensure that trash and recyclable items are being properly disposed of to help preserve our gorgeous home in the long run.