Plastic-Free Celebrations
We don’t know about you, but we love any excuse for a good old party. From birthdays to weddings, from Easter to Eid, there’s plenty to celebrate all year round. But have you ever considered how much plastic packaging and waste throwing a party can generate? The thought is quite a sobering one…
So, here are our top tips to help you how to celebrate in style and without unnecessary waste….
Convenient Cups and Cutlery
Plastic plates, cups and cutlery may seem convenient but, especially if you’re hosting at home, the crockery you already have in your cupboards are a far more environmentally friendly and easier option. If you’re short on numbers, why not reach out to guests and ask to borrow what you need or use the Party Kit Network to hire a local reusable party kit including reusable plates, cups, decorations and more.
Dining Alfresco
Nothing says summer like a good old picnic. Embrace Tupperware, lunchboxes and reusable containers for transporting your homemade picnic food, pack your reusable cutlery – or regular cutlery from home – and say no to single-use knifes and forks!
Get loose!
Hosting a dinner party? Avoid unnecessary plastic packaging on your food shop by choosing loose fruit, veg, spices and lots of other ingredients, instead of items wrapped in plastic packaging. Annoyed about the amount of fruit and veg that comes in plastic packaging? Sign this petition asking supermarkets to remove it from more fruit and veg items to prevent an estimated 1.7 billion pieces of plastic packaging from being thrown away.
A tipple or two
Some zero-waste shops do offer plastic-free wines and beer and even wine refills if you take your own bottles – we’re a big fan of wine refills!
If you’re buying the one-off bottle, opt for corked as screw tops come with plastic seals. When it comes to soft drinks, buying concentrated cordials in glass bottles to be diluted with tap water helps you save on plastic and money.
Delightful Decorations
Avoid buying plastic decorations that break easily and will be thrown away as soon as they’re taken down. Instead, get crafty and make some you can reuse over and over again! Try turning old clothes/material into bunting or repurposing old jars into candle holders. Get little ones involved for a fun family activity.
Greener Gifting
It’s easy to get caught up in a panic-buying frenzy when it comes to gift giving. Grabbing plastic-wrapped gift sets and last-minute items tends not to be the most cost-effective, thoughtful or planet friendly way of showing your loved ones you care.
Instead, why not help them do their bit for the planet and start them off on their plastic-free journey buy gifting them a reusable bottle or coffee cup? Or, for a gift that gives back, check out or beautiful donation vouchers and our planet-protecting tees and sweatshirts.
Conscious Clothing
We totally get wanting to look good at a party in a new outfit but buying new clothes for every engagement is not great for your wallet – and even worse for the planet! The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world and fast fashion generates vast amounts of waste and polluting chemicals. Instead, why not borrow or swap your gladrags with friends? Scour charity shops for a party look no one else will have, or use an app like Depop or Vinted to buy second-hand.
If buying new clothes, choose items made of natural materials that can be worn again and again to multiple events. Synthetic fibres can shed large amounts of microplastics in the wash, so avoid buying these and wash the ones you have less.
Sequins may look fabulous but they’re made from plastic and can shed, polluting your party space and ending up down plug holes so embrace other ways of looking festive and celebrate in style without harming the planet. Check out more plastic-free fashion tips here.
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