Spread love: Give these low waste swaps a try for Valentine’s Day

Feb 07, 2025

1. Shop your pantry first, before buying new. Here’s a fresh take on a romantic meal. Instead of dining out, consider making a delicious dinner at home with items you already have on hand. SWACO’s Fresh Takes initiative will help you make the most of food, time and money with recipes that repurpose items you may already have. Click here to find a recipe.                                                                               
2.  Eat your leftovers, don’t waste them. Throwing away food is so yesterday. Impress your dinner date this year when you carry home your leftovers from your favorite date-night dinner spot and toss them into tomorrow’s breakfast omelet. Eating the food from your dinner plate is one of the best ways to reduce food waste and SWACO is working with three local businesses – Budd Dairy Food Hall, Joya’s and Kittie’s Cakes to keep even more kitchen scraps and leftovers at their eateries from the landfill.
3. Recycle, don’t trash, greasy pizza boxes. For many, pizza is a love language. Indulge in your favorite pizza but when you’re done, remember to remove any food and the liner before flattening the box (and placing it in the recycling cart. Thanks to improvements in technology at central Ohio’s recycling center, even greasy pizza boxes (heart shaped or not!) can be recycled.
4. Reduce emissions, don’t create them. Planning on going to the movies? Help reduce carbon emissions and set up a movie night at home! Use cardboard boxes, pillows, and blankets to make a cinematic-worthy fort perfect for watching movies. (Don’t forget to flatten and recycle your cardboard after - for more information on how to recycle cardboard click here.)
5. Gift an experience, not the same old box of candy & card. Skip the material buys this year and think outside the box by gifting a local experience instead. Central Ohio offers pottery classes, theatre performances, and boasts one of the best museums in the country! A simple Google search will have an endless list of experience-based gift ideas in front of you.