You may associate parties and other celebrations with an overflowing garbage can, but this doesn’t need to be the case. With a little pre-planning and commitment to choose lower-waste options and reusable goods, you can entertain guests while minimizing waste.
Ditch the disposables
One of the most important ways to minimize waste is to avoid buying things you will just throw away. Do this by using reusable plates, cups, utensils, and even napkins at your next celebration. As an added bonus, durable place settings make your event appear fancier!
You can look for extra sets of dishes and utensils at secondhand stores and garage sales. You could also borrow extras from a friend or family member, or even ask your guests to bring their own of whatever you lack. At the end of your occasion, load up the dishwasher with your reusable dishes and cups, and add your napkins to the next load of laundry.
If you cannot use reusable place settings, make sure everything is recyclable or compostable and dispose of these materials properly. If you don’t have organics recycling service at home, take your compostable items to a drop-off. Avoid unnecessary items like straws and stir sticks in drinks, extra forks for a dessert course, and many different glasses for beverages.
Plan a low-waste menu
Remember to think about waste when planning your menu. Some things to consider:
- When shopping, use low-waste shopping strategies like buying in bulk, using your own containers and reusable bags, and shopping at the farmers market for local, in-season foods.
- Some easy snacking or appetizer options are cut up fruits and veggies, or bulk bin items like nuts or unwrapped candies.
- Serve drinks like flavored water or tea in dispensers, or purchase beverages in returnable growlers or kegs. If you do serve cans, bottles, or other containers, make sure your guests have access to a labeled recycling container.
- For meals, make an appropriate number of servings for your guests and have a plan for leftovers. If you don’t want to eat them or freeze for a later date, encourage your guests to take them home.
- If you’re throwing a larger party and using a caterer, make sure they offer low-waste options as well. This is becoming a popular selling point, so most caterers are knowledgeable about their sustainability initiatives.
Decorate to reduce waste
Over the years, decorations have become another major source of trash from celebrations. You can cut down on waste by taking the following steps:
- Avoid plastic or Mylar decorations, balloons and other items that are only useful for the day of the party.
- Consider having a stock of versatile decorations such as reusable string lights, soy candles, or cloth tablecloths. You can change up accent pieces such as table runners and make your own centerpieces from fresh cut flowers, house plants, seasonal produce or greenery.
- For winter holidays, kids and adults can make paper snowflakes or other cutouts from newspaper, magazines, or other reused paper. Pine cones, cranberries or popcorn on a string, or candies in a dish are good traditional options as well.
Make disposal easy
Make it easy for your guests to separate their waste correctly into bins for recycling, trash and organics recycling if that’s available. You don’t want to end up correcting their mistakes! Have containers available for guests, always put recycling and trash containers together, and clearly label bins with what goes where. After your party is over, clean up using green cleaners.
