By: Catherine Daleo
Read time: 10-12 minutes
One of the best things about the holidays is going to all the different holiday parties and enjoying the festivities with your friends and family!
Unfortunately, this also has a huge environmental impact, from the food waste to the packaging and more.
So, how can you have fun while still being environmentally conscious this holiday season?
Whether you’re going to someone else’s or throwing your own holiday party, there are many different ways to be zero-waste!
* Fair warning, of course, this choice will mean that you and/or the host of the party will have to be willing to commit to the clean up thereafter the party. If you are not the host, but you are on good terms with the host, talk with them beforehand to see if they are willing to do a zero-waste party, and offer to help in the clean-up afterward to make the idea more convincing. It’s one thing if you as a host are willing to put the extra work in after the party is over, but it’s another thing to ask someone to do the same, but not offer to help them achieve the goal.
Festivities and Food
Plates, Cups, and Utensils
A majority of the waste generated at holiday parties, and parties in general, comes primarily from all the throw-away plastic that is used. All those plates, cups, bowls, and utensils add up fast, especially when people throw them away after each use, rather than reusing them. And unfortunately, much of that plastic is non-recyclable. So it’s best to avoid it altogether. Below are some ideas on alternatives you can use in place of single-use plastics
Since it can be a bit nerve-wracking to have everyone at a party use glassware, I will suggest the compromise of at least using reusable plastic for plates, cups, and bowls. Over this year, since I myself have begun going zero-waste, I’ve made myself a little kit of plastic plates and cups that I got at the grocery store that I bring out for parties and events that I host. The rest of the time, they’re in storage waiting for the next thing I plan. You can do this too if you tend to have people over a lot and tend to use the throw-away party supplies.
The idea is to make sure you’re not using single-use plastics that will be thrown away immediately after being used. And if you take good care of those reusable plates and cups, you won’t have to buy more for a long time. And when you add up how much money is spent on throwaway cups and plates and utensils every time you throw a party, it can amount to a lot of money over time. So going reusable also will save you money.
As for utensils, just use the regular metal ones that you use yourself. If you don’t have a lot, don’t worry about going out and buying a brand new set that might be a bit expensive. Make a quick run to the thrift store and see what you can find! Oftentimes there are matching sets already there, so if you desire uniformity, you can usually luck out and find it. Otherwise, most people won’t notice nor care if your utensils are all different.
And if you personally care about the uniformity, keep those mix-matched utensils in your zero-waste party kit for future use along with your reusable plates and cups, instead of having the utensils mixed in with your matching utensils in your silverware drawer.
As I mentioned above, with the reusable items you will have to accept the responsibility of washing them afterward. But in all honesty, it really shouldn’t be that much of a chore, especially if you have an electric dishwasher. If you don’t have one or don’t like to use it, ask a friend or someone to stay after to help you clean up. It can be fun working together to clean up, and it will go by a lot faster. If no one can or will stay afterward to help you, soak everything overnight so the food doesn’t stick, and in the morning, pop in a Christmas movie, and watch it while you clean up. You might even find that it is therapeutic, as some people consider doing certain chores a meditative practice.
And, if you are at a holiday party where throw away cups and utensils are expected to be used, consider bringing your own to-go and utensils. When I go to parties, I bring my coffee mug and my bamboo utensil bag!
Napkins and Paper Towels
In addition to using and then having to wash kitchenware for the party, the next item on the list to go zero-waste with is napkins and paper towels. The best way to do this is to use cloth napkins and towels. Depending on your preference, you can have them match by getting some different festive holiday designed ones at the store and having a set for future use, or you can just grab all the hand towels you have in the house and set out a pile next to the food for people to grab and use.
Of course, you will then want to set up a bin or basket somewhere in an ideal location for your guests to put their used/dirty towels for you to collect and wash later.
There are, however, a couple of other options for this part. One of which is to see if your local grocery store carries washable hand towels. One brand I’ve recently discovered is called ‘Open Nature’ and can be found at places like Albertsons and Vons. They make reusable, hand-washable paper towels that are made from naturally produced Rayon from bamboo fibers. They work well enough, especially for a party, and you can hand wash them all together in the sink, then just hang up to dry after. Which means you can reuse them for a long time, all throughout the year! Ultimately, this has the opportunity to cut back on waste regardless of whether it’s for a party or just for everyday use.
However, if this is one area of waste that you’re less inclined to make a switch on, and don’t want to wash paper towels or any towels for that matter, you can consider one other option – paper towels that are made from recycled paper. This is another product I’ve seen the company Open Nature selling, although there are many options out there that are available, both online and in-store.
This is just one option for paper towels made from recycled paper. ‘Who Gives a Crap’ is another great company to check out that can help you cut back on your environmental impact in terms of both plastic waste and paper waste, while also saving you lots of money! And, they make paper towels as well! [1]
At the very least, if you’re using recycled paper towels, you’re not contributing to deforestation directly, as the material that was originally made from cut trees was at least repurposed to give it a second life.
And, if you choose this option in place of washable options, try to make sure to compost the paper towels after they’re used! Of course, this means you’ll have to commit to having your guests put paper towels in a designated spot, so if this is pushing your limit, I totally understand. But if you’re willing to try it, read on!
Depending on your area, local services, and other factors, you can do this in a couple of different ways. You can put them in your own compost bin if you have one; rip them up and put the bits directly into your garden soil; put them into your green waste bin if your area has that service provided; or, you can look into any local food waste pick-up/disposal services or local businesses that will do it for you!
Whatever you choose to do, do what works best for you and your lifestyle.
Food
There are several areas of possibility when it comes to going zero-waste when it comes to food and beverages. It may require more work, but if you’re willing to do that, the planet will thank you!
First thing’s first: avoid plastic packaging as best as you can. This can be done by making things from scratch at home, and/or encouraging guests to bring homemade food items!
From cookies, cakes, and pies, to full plates and dishes of entrees – whatever is being made by hand will likely be cheaper and taste better than whatever you would find premade at the store! And it is much more fun to make food yourself, especially when you have some help doing it! If you have friends or family that can come over early before the party starts (or if you can go over to their place before their party starts), you can work together on making a dish or a couple of dishes and desserts to have ready to lay out on the table!
You can even do this for snacks and dips as well! Just look up a recipe for the things you would have otherwise bought, see what ingredients you need and acquire them, and get cooking! Bonus points if you can get your ingredients from a locally owned business, store, farm, or other community-based sources!
If you really want to be mindful of your environmental impact, see if there are any plant-based/vegetarian or vegan options you can offer your guests – even if you aren’t vegetarian or vegan yourself. Just cutting out a single dish that contains meat, particularly some type of beef, has a huge positive impact on the environment!
I won’t get into the logistics and everything about why that is right now, because this article would go on for quite a while if I did that. Instead, I encourage you to watch the documentary on Netflix called ‘Cowspiracy’ and see for yourself, [2].
But in general, it would be a good idea to offer a vegetarian or vegan dish for your guests, since odds are, at least one of them has this kind of dietary restriction, and they will greatly appreciate the consideration for it. And, even if you don’t have a guest with this restriction, offering a dish like this can inspire people at your party to consider implementing more vegetarian and vegan options into their own lives. You don’t have to completely change your dietary habits to enjoy these types of food!
One last thing I’d like to hit on for reducing your food waste, is to make sure you’re not wasting it in the first place! By that, I mean only make what you need.
Every year, tons and tons of food is wasted during the holidays with all the leftovers being thrown out – which adds to the 40% of all food produced that’s wasted year-round, according to the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC), [3].
If there are leftovers, two ways to avoid this is by either putting together some meals to either bring to lunch, to some coworkers, or to a homeless person who is in your local area that you know if going to be hungry; or, you can compost your food in one of the ways I mentioned above for the paper towels option!
For more ideas on how to reduce food waste for the holidays and year-round, check out this article by the Food Network, [4]!
Drinks
Next, for your beverage options, instead of buying cans or bottles of water, soda, or other drinks, see about preparing your own drinks at home!
One great example that comes to mind is a friend of mine whose parents throws a party every year for the holidays, and they have two large drink dispensers set up – one with water that is made with cucumber, mint leaves, and lemon; and one that is either a homemade lemonade mix or a homemade soda made with seltzer and syrup (depending on what they decided to make for that party).
I myself have gotten into the habit of making fruit water prior to a party I’m throwing. My favorite mix to make (if the fruits are in season of course) is a peach, strawberries, and mint leaf mixture. Of course, if you have to add more water to the mix, the subsequent mixtures aren’t as well-steeped and flavorful, but it still tastes great! Either way, for your guests that don’t want to drink caffeine or alcoholic beverages, they have a delicious option for staying hydrated. And, for those who just want plain water, I have a portable Brita pitcher available to set out, as well as the water dispenser from the fridge that has filtered water.
Now, on to the soda alternatives! Sodas are pretty much expected at parties nowadays, so this is definitely an area of concern at any get-together in terms of waste generation.
Recently, to combat this, I got a Soda Stream, which allows me to make sparkling water right at home, and just add my own flavor to it, instead of buying cans of soda or sparkling water at the store, or bottles of it for parties. This also means that I can set it up for guests to make their own soda water and then offer different syrups for them to add to their drink.
Not only is this going to reduce waste (and thus the amount of trash to toss out), but it will also be more cost-effective!
That being said, if you don’t want to get a Soda Stream, there is another option if you’d like to offer homemade sodas! You can get a box of canned sparkling water, and add the flavor just like you would with a Soda Stream. I use the brand you see in the picture, Torani, [5]. They offer a wide variety of syrup options both with sugar and sugar-free.
And worst-case scenario, if you absolutely want to get real, name-brand sodas, make sure to at least get canned soda, rather than the bottled options. At the very least, if you are recycling the cans, you’re still staying in line with being zero-waste, because aluminum is 100% recyclable, and can be recycled indefinitely! This, compared to plastic, which can only be recycled 1-2 times before it loses quality, and ultimately still ends up in landfills, the ocean, or other places it doesn’t belong (or turns into micro-plastic!)
Just make sure to politely inform and remind your guests of your zero-waste intentions, and provide them with a separate receptacle or location to put their cans for you to recycle! When I throw parties, I have a cardboard box set aside with a sign saying “Recycling!” above or in front of it, so it’s visible. So far, people have been mindful of it, and make sure to get the cans where they need to go! If you are showing that you care, your friends and family generally will too.
Lastly, you can also offer your guests drink options such as tea, hot cocoa, and coffee! If you have an electric kettle, this would probably be the easiest option, but if you don’t, just have a pot set aside for people to boil water for their drink of choice! If you have a percolator or a French press for coffee, you can have freshly brewed coffee being made throughout the party. Or, if you have an extra pitcher, you can steep some coffee overnight in the fridge to have iced coffee available to your guests!
Now, I would only recommend the use of Keurig if you have a reusable K-cup for it. If you only have the single-use K-cup pods, I would suggest not offering the Keurig as an option for your guests, as this will be very wasteful. (I would also highly recommend you invest in a reusable cup for yourself for use throughout the year, in place of the single-use one, as a general rule).
Well, that should cover the most important components of a holiday party (or any party for that matter) with cutting back on the waste that is generated. Hopefully, you’ve got a few ideas on how to have a zero-waste party this holiday season and throughout the year!
Remember, I don’t expect anyone to take on all of these suggestions. If everyone picked at least one or two things to incorporate into their holiday party this year, it makes a world of difference. If you can and want to do everything I suggested here, that’s great! But if not, that is okay – zero-waste is a goal and a journey, not a strict lifestyle. We all take it one step at a time together as we work towards reducing the amount of waste we each individually create.
As Anna Marie Bonneau, a zero-waste chef, has said in a Tweet earlier this year, “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly”, [6]
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Thanks so much for reading! Stay tuned for the last part of this series, where I cover the gifts, wrapping paper, and traveling for the holidays!
Resources Listed
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