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Local businesses skip the plastic

Ciara Parizek/MDN Val Stradick with Main Street Books will be contributing to Zero Waste Week in Minot by filling reusable growlers and bottles with kombucha tea brought in by customers.

Tim Baumann and Amanda Lund are bringing Zero Waste Week to Minot.

Last November, Baumann and Lund discussed eliminating single use plastic products in the Minot community by promoting reusable products. Using growlers, coffee mugs and reusable bottles can reduce the amount of plastic waste created every day. Lund gave an example: if 365 people bought coffee in a single use cup, the amount of plastic waste created is about 22 pounds.

So far, Baumann and Lund have reached out to local businesses to ask them for help in reducing the amount of waste. Lund, who works with Tupperware, said she contacted her home office in Orlando, Fla., about the project and the company donated 300 reusable bottles to the cause. On Sunday, Lund traded her reusable bottles with single use cups that customers had in Broadway Bean & Bagel.

Marketplace Food on 16th Street hosted Skip the Sack Sunday for Zero Waste Week. Lund said the staff at Marketplace Food gave out about 350 reusable bags.

Arantxa Govea with Broadway Bean & Bagel said she was asked directly by Lund to participate. For every reusable cup that’s filled, the business will give half the donations to the Domestic Violence Crisis Center and the other half to the Minot Symphony Orchestra. Govea said she hopes everyone will participate even if they don’t drink coffee.

Val Stradick with Main Street Booch is also participating in filling reusable growlers or bottles with kombucha tea she makes at Main Street Books. Stradick said she is all for recycling and wants to help keep the planet cleaner. She also began carrying take-along silverware to reduce the amount of plastic utensils that are thrown away.

In addition, she encourages people to bring in their plastic grocery bags to be reused. If they have a bag of bags in their house, they can drop them off at Main Street Books for customers to carry out their purchases.

Lund said that reusable straws are on the rise. They are made form recycled single use plastic cups.

All week long, Broadway Bean & Bagel will fill reusable mugs and growlers with any drink they make. Until the end of the week, the Dakota Boys and Girls Thrift Store will give 20% off to those that mention Zero Waste Week when they buy previously owned goods.

Tonight from 5-7 p.m., the Minot Lion’s Club is encouraging people to drop their plastic grocery bags off at The Spot Pool Hall to free up some space in their homes and prevent them from just being thrown in the trash.

On Wednesday, Lund will be back at Broadway Bean & Bagel from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. to swap single use water bottles with a reusable one.

Friday is Skip the Straw Day. Those who visit a restaurant are encouraged to say “No straw please” as a way to participate.

The Minot Public Library will be the host for Don’t Nix It, Fix It on Saturday from 10 a.m.-noon. Some items are bound to break from normal wear and tear, like earrings, necklaces, and small kitchen appliances, like toasters. Two local repair hobbyists will be available to fix those items that are about the size of a bread box or smaller. They also ask that items containing anything combustible or flammable not be brought in. The service is free and open to everyone. Those who bring something in will also receive a reusable bag from the Minot Public Library.

In a news release, Baumann said, “Zero Waste is a journey, not a destination. All of us can take steps to move toward Zero Waste in our community every day. The more we reduce our dependence on single-use items, the less trash we have to haul, load, dump, store, and leave for our children and grandchildren to manage. It is crazy to see how much we throw away each day.”

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