Who doesn’t love a good house party? It’s one of the best ways to entertain your loved ones without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. However, house parties tend to generate a lot of waste and can harm the environment. Throw a smashing bash and keep your conscience clear by reading below for 5 ways to make house parties more eco-friendly.
Don’t Buy; Hire Instead
Unless you’re the type of person who hosts parties at your home regularly, there isn’t much merit to buying your party supplies. Aside from taking up valuable storage space in your home after the event, these party supplies probably won’t see a lot of use in the future and will only create clutter and add to waste. Consider hiring out for your party decorations and place settings, as well as adding the cost of a skip bin hire to your party expenses. Utilizing the services of dedicated companies in your area to jazz your place up and collect any rubbish after the party enables you to support local businesses. Plus, renting decors and services can reduce your need for storage space and bring down your household’s carbon footprint.
Choose Eco-Friendly Decorations
Party decorations are a must if you want a festive atmosphere for your gathering. By simply making green choices while picking them out, you could do the planet a significant favor. Single-use decorations such as streamers and banners will most likely only end up in a landfill after the event. Loose balloons often end up polluting our oceans and causing serious harm to birds and marine wildlife.
If you must use streamers and banners, go with paper instead of plastic, acrylic, or tarpaulin. Picking one with a generic message on it means that you can reuse the décor for future parties. Use paper or leaf confetti instead of mylar or metallic foil, or do away with confetti entirely and blow bubbles in lieu of them. They’re just as cheerful but don’t create as much waste, plus using bubbles minimizes the amount of rubbish you’ll have to sweep off the floor after the party.
Do Away with Disposables
Did you know that disposable items already have a negative impact on the environment long before you even throw them away? Sourcing, manufacturing, and transport all use up valuable energy and resources, and the production process produces carbon, which is then emitted into our atmosphere.
Convenience culture is one of the major factors that contribute to the planet’s ongoing waste problem. Sure, it may seem easier to pick up a bunch of disposable plates and cutlery and save yourself the trouble of washing dishes after everyone has gone home. However, consider the fact that plastic decomposes at a much slower rate than biodegradable alternatives, and that we are depositing tons of it into landfills that are filling up fast. Adopting a “don’t toss, reuse” mindset and using real dishes and utensils not only makes your party eco-friendlier, it also classes up the affair.
Create a Menu That Minimizes Waste
“Zero-waste” in this context doesn’t just mean having a plan for any leftover food. It means minimizing or eliminating waste from preparation to serving. Keep the words “fresh”, “local” and “seasonal” in mind while shopping for ingredients and planning the dishes you’ll be serving. Avoid buying pre-packed food and beverages that come in plastic or Styrofoam containers. You can even go the extra mile and eliminate cutlery altogether by serving an assortment of finger foods instead.
Portion control is also an effective way to manage food waste. Make note of how many people will be attending your party so that you know how much food to buy and prepare. If you have any usable leftovers, pack them up for your guests to take home! Any inedible leftovers should be properly composted.
Skip Paper Invitations
There’s not much use for paper invitations in the digital age. Invite your friends, family, and loved ones over to your party by sending a group text, creating a Facebook event, or putting together a digital invitation and sending it via email. If you absolutely must have paper invitations, consider using recycled paper, or paper made with sustainable materials such as bamboo or cotton.
Even small measures can have a positive effect if we all do our part to save the environment. By making just a few lifestyle adjustments, you can still throw a great party without causing harm to our planet.
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