According to Northern Colorado Disposal, Americans toss out enough paper and plastic cups, forks and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times.

Here are some tips from Walking Mountains Sustainability and the Climate Action Collaborative to help reduce our impact over a busy Fourth of July holiday full of picnics, gatherings and barbecue.

How to get there

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• Walk, bike, bus or carpool to your picnic, barbecue or party.

What to bring

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• Avoid pre-packaged, pre-made foods and styrofoam to reduce single-use plastic.

• Bring your items in a reusable bag or basket.

• Bring your own utensils, straws and reusable tableware and water bottles.

• If purchasing, then look for recyclable cups. Paper and stainless steel straws can be purchased locally at Walmart.

• Bring two trash bags. One for trash and one for recycling.

What to eat

• Shop for in-season produce at your local farmers market.

• Shop for meat from the local butcher. Meat from the butcher also has less plastic or packaging.

Post-event duties

• Separate your trash and recycling and visit a recycling drop-site or plan your event at a location that has recycling on-site.

For more information about local waste reduction, visit http://www.walkingmountains.org/recycling-waste-reduction.