We all love parties but often events and celebrations come along with avoidable waste – think about disposable plates, single use drinking straws, disposable cutlery, plastic decorations, food packaging, just to mention a few.
But, with a little organisation, our event can turn into a successful zero waste party – our planet will thank you, and your wallet too!
Here we collected 6 tips for inspiration on making easy swaps that can be included in any kind of party to go plastic free.
- Send digital invitations
Send invitations to your guest digitally instead of printing them. Use online tools such as Easil to create your beautifully designed digital invitation card via email - or via Facebook or Instagram for more informal events.
You can also add a mention in your digital invitation to motivate your choice. Your guests would appreciate that.
- Choose a theme for your party
For example, you can go for a Greek party and offer a platter of fresh cut vegetables and homemade tzatziki sauce in a large bowl. This would avoid the use of plastic wrapped food.
- Use reusable decorations
Choose natural decorations, such as flowers and plants or fruits and vegetables, that after the party can be eaten or composted at the end. Instead of disposable flag garlands, opt for LED string lights, which are reusable over time and in different occasions.
Fruits and foliage are great to decorate cakes or to create wonderful centerpiece for your table.
- Offer simple food and drinks
Keep it minimalist. Don’t buy much food than you think you need. Offer fresh food bought from local groceries and bakeries that don't sell packed food.
Prepare simple dishes. Opt for pure food that you need only to arrange, chop and slice such as fruits, cheese, nuts, olives, homemade bread and cakes.
This is a great way to enjoy your party with friends instead of cooking all the time.
- Skip disposable items
Use real plates, real cutlery, real glasses. If you have enough plates or forks for your guests, borrow some. Your guests would be pleased to use glass mason jars or ceramic plates and your event would look more sophisticated and classier compared to plastic stuffed parties.
Or you can eliminate the problem of plates and cutlery altogether by offering finger food.
- Skip plastic straws
Needless to say, don’t buy single use plastic straws. Choose HOOMEE reusable drinking straws so that you can have a ready-to-use set of straws for your parties.
You can consider HOOMEE reusable drinking straws as gift for your guests as well – so they can get prepared for their next zero waste party.
Do you have some more tips to throw a zero waste party? Share your ideas in comments!