Food Bloggers Compete In Game Day Recipe Challenge, Highlight How Sports Fans Can Celebrate With Less Waste

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans celebrating the big game will buy, prepare and devour lots of food and drink, which can result in quite a bit of waste. But these sports fans can keep the environment in mind when planning Game Day recipes—and maybe even win $250—with a little help from plastics.

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Plastics Make it Possible^® has teamed up with four popular food bloggers in a Game Day Recipe Challenge to create iconic sports fan recipes using plastic kitchen tools—then sports fans can vote online for their favorite recipe and be entered in a Game Day Giveaway for one of five $250 gift cards. The bloggers also will share their experiences using plastics in the kitchen to create their recipes and to generate less waste.

The bloggers competing for best recipe are Gaby Dalkin from "What's Gaby Cooking," Renee Hirschberg from "Eat.Live.Blog," Jenna Weber from "Eat, Live, Run," and Robyn Lindars from "Grill Grrrl."

"We all want to lighten our environmental footprint without sacrificing the things we love, such as big game day celebrations and tailgate parties," said Steve Russell, vice president of plastics for the American Chemistry Council, which sponsors the Plastics Make it Possible^® initiative. "Plastics we use in the kitchen can help us prepare, transport, serve and store our favorite game day food and drinks while creating less waste."

Here are a few tips from Plastics Make it Possible^® on how sports fans can do more with less—and contribute to sustainability—on game day:

• Less Packaging: Look for multi-function packaging. For example, some prepared foods now are available in plastic packaging that keeps food fresh on store shelves, transforms into a convenient serving dish during the party, and re-seals to protect food during storage, creating less waste and clean-up.
• Less Packaging Waste: Choose new minimalist packaging designs made with thin, lightweight plastics that protect food using less material, resulting in less packaging waste and reduced fuel consumption in transport.
• Less Food Waste: Don't forget airtight plastic storage containers to help keep prepared foods fresh while transporting them to parties and tailgates. These durable, lightweight containers are easy to carry and also can be used as serving dishes, which results in less clean-up. Simply re-seal the container and refrigerate or freeze to preserve leftovers and prevent wasted food.
• More Streamlined Food Prep: Plastic kitchen tools help make game day food prep easier and quicker, so fans can spend more time enjoying the game and less in the kitchen. Use silicone plastic mats and baking molds to help cooked foods slide out easily—they also reduce the amount of added fats needed to make game day treats.
• More Recycled Plastics: It now is easy to find kitchen tools made with recycled plastics from used beverage bottles, yogurt containers, milk jugs, or other products. Look online or at local retailers for kitchenware made with recycled plastics to help keep valuable material out of landfills.
• More Plastics Recycling: Consumers in more than 90 percent of the U.S. can recycle plastic beverage bottles and caps, and nearly 58 percent can recycle plastic containers from foods such as yogurt, dips, spreads and sour cream. Place a clearly labeled recycling bin next to the trashcan to make it easy for guests to recycle. Plastic bags and wraps can be returned for recycling to participating retail stores, such as Target and Lowe's. (Sports fans can make sure they're recycling everything they can by visiting Earth911.com and typing in a local zip code to find out what's accepted in community recycling programs.)

To see the bloggers' recipes and enter The Game Day Giveaway by voting for your favorite, click here.

To explore sustainability and innovations in plastic packaging and cooking tools, visit It's a Wrap!

About Plastics Make it Possible^®
Plastics Make it Possible^® highlights the many ways plastics inspire innovations that improve our lives, solve big problems, and help us design a safer, more promising future. This initiative is sponsored by America's Plastics Makers^TM of the American Chemistry Council. For more information, visit www.plasticsmakeitpossible.com, check out our Facebook page and follow us @plasticpossible on twitter at www.twitter.com/plasticpossible.

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The American Chemistry Council (ACC) represents the leading companies engaged in the business of chemistry. ACC members apply the science of chemistry to make innovative products and services that make people's lives better, healthier and safer. ACC is committed to improved environmental, health and safety performance through Responsible Care^®, common sense advocacy designed to address major public policy issues, and health and environmental research and product testing. The business of chemistry is a $760 billion enterprise and a key element of the nation's economy. It is the largest exporting sector in the U.S., accounting for 12 percent of U.S. exports. Chemistry companies are among the largest investors in research and development. Safety and security have always been primary concerns of ACC members, and they have intensified their efforts, working closely with government agencies to improve security and to defend against any threat to the nation's critical infrastructure.

Contact: Jennifer Killinger (202) 249-6619
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE American Chemistry Council