Personal Actions | Mankato Area Zero Waste

Personal Actions:

Sign-up to use the organics recycling dumpsters on mankatozerowaste.com. You’ll receive info to get started.
Tell restaurants and businesses “no thank you” to straws, plastic bags, utensils and other giveaways you don’t need. Stop using balloons and plastic/Styrofoam containers.
Borrow, rent or share items like party decorations, tools, baby clothes, books.
Repair products rather than throw them away and buy new.
Replace plastic cooking spoons and spatulas with wooden or metal.
Cookware—use PFAS free alternatives like clay, stainless steel, cast-iron, ceramic.
Store food in non-plastic containers, such as glass, ceramic or stainless steel and avoid microwaving food or drinks in plastic containers. Ask for tin foil for take-away food if no compostable containers are provided.
Recycle plastic bags, bubble wrap, film packaging, etc. in the recycling bins at groceries. See recycle trex.com or Plastic Film Recycling on this site.
Donate belongings or left-over food to nonprofits like the food shelf, church, thrift store, community center, school. The Good Samaritan Law exempts you from liability.
Avoid personal care products with polypropylene, polyethylene, phthalates and parabens.
Buy air filters for your home (small particle size) and reverse osmosis water filter.
Avoid these cosmetic Chemicals: triclosan,, dibutyl, phthalate, , EDC,DBP, parabens such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl and isobutyl parabens, benzophenone-3, polyethylene glycol, formaldehyde, sodium lauryl sulfate, BHA, BHT, MEA, DEA, TEA, ethanolamine, hydroquinone, methylisothiazolinone, toluene, octinoxate, methylchloroisothiazolinone, benzalkonium chloride, oxybenzone and avobenzone.
Consume less meat because certain chemicals can concentrate in animal fat and eat more organic foods, vegetables, fruits and whole grains to decrease exposure to pesticides.
Avoid or minimize intake of high risk contaminated foods like fish containing high levels of mercury such as swordfish and bluefin tuna. Avoid fatty foods because persistent chemicals concentrate in fats.
Avoid packaged and highly processed foods e.g., fast foods, when possible, to decrease exposure to chemicals such as phthalates and PFAS.
Use nontoxic cleaning products, e.g. baking soda, vinegar and lemon.
Use a wet cloth to clean floors and surfaces to avoid chemicals in dust getting in the air.
Remove shoes before entering the house to avoid tracking in contaminants.
Minimize use of toxic insect control methods.
Substitute professional wet cleaning for chemical dry cleaning.
Avoid synthetic turf fields. (don’t eat or place water bottles on the field; remove shoes outside your house; shower and wash clothes separately).