Green Team members have suggested I share again some of the choices suggested when we first started this column in the Friday FCC email in January 2023. Random reminders:

The plastic containers plant starts come in —small or large— and hanging baskets from previous years can be taken to Lowes. To the right of the door in the gardening section, you will see them piled. And they are also free to pick up.

Can lids cannot be put in recycling because they jam up the sorting machines. Instead, when you use the can opener, stop before you go completely around so the lid stays attached. Then it can be recycled with the can.

Buy in bulk rather than in single portions; bigger containers are easier to sort and bale. But then use it all. Don’t waste it.

Often blank white pages that come in your mail can be cut into smaller pieces you use instead of buying post-it notes. Mine fill a no-label Nestle’s Quick container on my desk. And use a completely blank back page from mail to print on. My eRG sudoku goes there.

For those requests for donations mailed to you with a return envelope, if there is only the address printed on the front, keep it, put a blank label over the address, and use it for other mailings.

Use cloth napkins at home instead of paper napkins. I calculated that I have avoided 81,760 napkins this way. And when you eat out and they bring a pile of napkins to your table, take the extras home to use as you might need them. The wait staff must trash them after they have been out to your table.

Avoid plastic garbage can liners. Use bags you empty for other purposes (e.g., dogfood, 10# flour, birdseed, paper grocery, etc.).

Leftover salmon? Add cream cheese and lemon juice to make salmon spread. Leftover fish, treat it like a can of tuna and make “fish salad” sandwiches.

Always leave a lever faucet in the cold position when using small amounts of water.

Be stingy with laundry detergent. Consumer Reports’ testing reveals 1/4 cup is plenty for an average load.

And have you visited Marleys Monsters yet at the 5th Street Alley? They have a lot more than just unpaper towels.

by Marilyn Flick