Cutting waste at a big party without going paperless
Cutting waste at a big party without going paperless
Disposable tableware exists because washing up for eighty people is not realistic in a rented room. That is a fair trade, but the quantity used is often much higher than it needs to be, and most of the excess comes from layout rather than from appetite.
Layout does most of the work
The single biggest saving is where the cutlery and napkins sit. At the start of a line, people take them before they know what they are eating and take extra “just in case”. At the end, they take what they need.
The second saving is quantity on display. A tray with forty forks on it gets used at a different rate to a tray with a hundred and fifty. Setting out modest amounts and refilling reduces consumption noticeably without anyone feeling rationed.
Plate size and the second trip
Large plates encourage large first servings and more waste on the plate. Slightly smaller plates encourage a second visit, which sounds like more washing but in practice means less food thrown away and roughly the same plate count.
Where a party set specifies plate diameters, they are worth reading. A nine-inch plate and an eleven-inch plate produce quite different behaviour.
Cups are the real problem
Cup consumption is where big events lose control, because people put a cup down, lose it and take another. Two things help.
The first is a marker pen near the drinks so people can write on their cup. It is unglamorous and it works.
The second is fewer, better-placed drink stations. Multiple scattered stations multiply abandoned cups, because people do not carry a cup back across a room.
Compostables, honestly
Compostable plates and cutlery are a genuine improvement when there is somewhere for them to go. In a venue with a commercial composting collection, they are clearly better. In a venue where everything goes into one bin, the practical difference is small.
The useful question before buying is not whether an item is compostable but whether the building it will be used in has a stream that will compost it. If not, the more meaningful saving is using less of everything.
Buying for the event you are having
Over-ordering is not waste if the surplus keeps. Sealed packs of plastic cutlery, plates and cups store indefinitely somewhere dry, and anyone who hosts more than once a year will use them.
What does not keep well is anything opened, anything paper in a damp basement, and anything with a printed seasonal design that will not suit the next occasion. Buying plain and buying sealed makes surplus into stock rather than rubbish.
Leftovers of food
Foil trays with lids are worth having on hand at any large event. They let leftovers leave with guests rather than going in a bin at the end of the night, which is both the biggest waste saving available and the most popular thing you can offer at eleven o’clock.
Clearing as you go
A bin that is visible and not full gets used. A bin that is hidden behind a door, or full by nine o’clock, produces a room covered in cups. Two or three clearly placed bins with liners, emptied once mid-event, does more for the state of a room than anything else on this list.
A short list
- Put cutlery and napkins at the end of the line.
- Set out modest amounts and refill rather than stacking everything at once.
- Use slightly smaller plates.
- Provide a pen at the drinks station and use fewer stations.
- Choose compostables only where they will actually be composted.
- Buy plain and sealed so surplus becomes stock.
- Have foil trays ready for leftovers.
- Place bins where people can see them and empty them once mid-event.
Where this sits in the shop
Everything discussed above comes back to one part of the shop: Cups and Napkins, which currently holds 2 listings between $3.19 and $11.24. The whole of it is picked and packed at Party Plan-It, 8414 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY, during Tue–Sat 10:30am–7pm, Sun 10:30am–3:30pm, closed Monday — so anything written here can be checked by phoning the counter on ((718) 836-3701.
From our shelves
- Bounty Paper Napkins, White, 200 Count, Packaging may vary — $3.19
- Hefty Party On Disposable Plastic Cups, Assorted, 16 Ounce, 100 Count — $11.24
What we get asked about this
How long will my order take?
Handling takes 1–2 business days and carrier transit is normally 3–7 business days, so most orders land in 4–9 business days. Tracking is emailed as soon as the label scans.
How much is shipping?
Orders of $49.00 or more ship free inside the United States. Below that, a flat $5.99 covers packing and carrier handling, whatever the box weighs.
Read next
- How many balloons a room actually needs
- Latex balloon sizes, float time and when to inflate
- How much disposable cutlery to buy per guest
Ordering from Party Plan-It
Orders of $49.00 or more ship free anywhere in the United States, and a flat $5.99 covers everything below that. Handling takes 1–2 business days and carrier transit is normally 3–7 business days. Unused items can go back within 30 days, and if the mistake was ours we pay the return postage.
Questions about anything above go to [email protected], answered within 1 business day, or call (718) 836-3701. Full detail is on the Shipping Policy and Refund and Returns pages.