Everyone loves a great party! It’s even better when your party is planned with a zero waste mentality! Here are some reasons why throwing a zero waste party rocks:
- Imagine all the trash you can avoid.
- Real serving dishes over disposable plastics – how personal!
- You’re spreading eco-awareness and saving the planet. Yes, you walk the talk!
- You’re encouraging a sustainable lifestyle.
- Everyone gets to experience the benefits of going green.
It doesn’t matter if you’re throwing festive seasonal parties, birthday parties, baby showers, or even Because-We-Can parties, you can approach them all with a zero waste mindset. These 6 zero waste party ideas will help you get started!
Use Real Cutlery
Photo by Lum3n.com from Pexels
Reduce the need for plastic by keeping it real with actual servingware. By using real plates, your guests will be more inclined to use the same ones throughout the party instead of switching to a new set after each serving.
If you don’t have enough cutleries, pool your resources together and request for your guests to bring some from home. Your guests will be happy to help out!
Label Trash
Photo from Labeled Trash.
Encourage eco-friendly habits into your party by having the trash sorted! But first, it’d nice to inform your guests about this eco-conscious effort beforehand as some may not be used to the idea of recycling. Clearly label your waste receptacles and place them in areas that are accessible to guests. Labelling trash lets your guests know that you’re serious about recycling and it’d be great when everyone follows suit. You can sort them into different categories such as ‘trash’, ‘recycling’ and ‘food scraps’.
Serve Enough Food
Photo from Olive and Mango.
While it’s important that your guests are well fed at a party, it’s also equally important that food doesn’t go to waste. Food waste contributes to climate change in many ways. For example, food waste produces methane as it rots in landfills. Booo! Hence, there are numerous ways to reduce food waste and one of them is by choosing to host a potluck party. This way, guests can each bring a dish in reusable containers to reduce food waste.
Use Reusable Containers
Photo from Amazon.
Here comes the next relevant point – reusable containers. Even if some of your guests aren’t bringing a home-cooked dish, encourage each to bring reusable containers to store any party leftovers. You can minimise the use of plastic bags, plastic wrap, aluminium foil, and other disposable food storage items by packing leftovers in reusable containers. Plus with glass containers, you don’t need to wait for your food to fully cool before putting your leftovers in them. IKEA stocks a wide range of food containers!
Donate Leftovers
Photo from Lifestyle Asia.
If leftovers do get a little out of hand, you can always donate them to your local food bank. It’s been reported that during the festive season, Charities have seen a 20% jump in food donations! But before you donate your dishes, remember to cover and pack leftovers properly to avoid any contamination.
The Food Bank Singapore will take leftovers and allocate them to the needy through various channels such as Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs), Charities and Soup Kitchens. Find out more on Facebook or drop them a line at +65 6831 5395.
Eco-Friendly Favours
Photo by Dana Tentis from Pexels.
If party favours are on your list, go for ones that encourage guests to go green! Let your favours carry your zero-waste theme. So that means no plastic wrappers, glitter or other non-recyclable embellishments. You could, however, have your pick of consumable favours such as mini jars of honey, lip balm or essential oil blends! Alternatively, produce bags, reusable bags and snack bags make for great eco-friendly favours!
A Sustainable Celebration
As always, we hope these ideas will inspire your next joyous and eco-friendly celebration! Sustainability is everyone’s responsibility. Do you have more ideas on how to plan a ‘green’ party? Let us know in the comments!
