As the weather begins to warm across the United States, people are taking to parks and beaches once again for picnics, barbecues and other celebrations with family and friends. And while we’re out enjoying nature, we can also protect the places we love from plastic pollution.
Not only are plastics left in a park or on a beach unsightly, they’re also highly dangerous to animals that might mistake it for food. A recent Ocean Conservancy-led study found that consuming less than two dice’s worth of plastic has a 90% chance of killing a seagull.
As you make your plans to head outdoors, here are some easy tips for having a plastic-free picnic and helping to protect animals along the way.
Avoid single-use plastics in food and drink
When planning a picnic, it’s best to avoid food and drinks packaged in plastics. In fact, according to data collected by Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup® (ICC) participants, plastic bottles, bottle caps, food wrappers, plastic grocery bags, food containers and plastic plates and cups are all among the top 10 most commonly found items polluting beaches and waterways worldwide. For example, in 2024 alone, over 4.4 million of these items commonly used at picnics were collected from beaches and waterways around the world.
But packing your picnic without these items is easier than you think! Instead of packing your picnic basket with single-use plastics, bring your food in reusable glass or metal containers or beeswax wraps, buy snacks in bulk, and use reusable or glass bottles or cups. Making your own food and bringing condiments in small reusable jars helps cut down on waste even more. When it comes to plates and cutlery, opt for reusable or compostable plates (like paper or bamboo), cloth napkins and metal silverware. And finally, avoid a foam cooler—use a reusable cooler or insulated bag instead.
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Use non-plastic decorations
Did you know that most confetti and glitter are technically microplastics? And that balloon fragments are one of the deadliest plastics to marine life? Instead of balloons and confetti, opt for fabric flags or recycled paper pennant flags and streamers. You can also use things from nature, like flowers or pinecones, to make your picnic pretty. Or make signs with cardboard or a small reusable chalkboard, which not only look cute but are easy to reuse for your next picnic.
Leave no trace
Don’t forget to pack up and remove everything you brought with you, and sort and dispose of any trash appropriately, aiming to compost or recycle as much as you can. And finally, leave your picnic spot even cleaner than you found it. Take a few minutes to pick up any trash in the area that may have been left by other picnic-goers. Find out the positive impact your cleanup efforts had on ocean wildlife by entering the trash you collect into the Wildlife Impact Calculator. And if you want to help contribute to Ocean Conservancy’s plastic pollution research, you can log what you find in our Clean Swell® app.
Thanks to ocean lovers like you, we’re calling on lawmakers to put our planet and people over plastics. Join Ocean Conservancy and tell Congress to pass the bipartisan Plastic Health Research Act, which would kickstart research into the effects of plastics on human health by directing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out, expand and coordinate research programs to help understand the potential health effects from plastic exposure.
The post How to Have a Plastic-Free Picnic appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.
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