{"id":24783,"date":"2017-10-17T14:53:52","date_gmt":"2017-10-17T14:53:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.faithful-to-nature.co.za\/natural-organic-blog\/?p=24783"},"modified":"2018-04-05T11:40:15","modified_gmt":"2018-04-05T09:40:15","slug":"tips-for-a-waste-free-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.faithful-to-nature.co.za\/blog\/tips-for-a-waste-free-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips For A Waste Free Celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Shannon Skye AKA JourneyToZero_<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

TIPS FOR A WASTE FREE CELEBRATION<\/h1>\n

Parties of any sort can produce a lot of unnecessary waste. Think\u00a0rubbish bags full of paper plates, cups, napkins, wrapping paper and\u00a0all sorts of food packaging\u2026 With just a bit of thought and planning,\u00a0you can have a great celebration without it costing you or the planet\u00a0more. These are my tips for having a \u2018waste-free\u2019 celebration.<\/p>\n

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CHOOSE NATURAL AND REUSABLE DECOR OVER SINGLE-USE<\/h3>\n

Choose decorations such as fresh flowers\/foliage. If possible, buy them from a florist or\u00a0flower stall to avoid the plastic they’re often wrapped in. Or pick your own.
\nSay no to balloons, even \u2018biodegradable\u2019 latex balloons. Natural latex may be biodegradable,\u00a0but after adding chemicals, plasticizers and artificial dyes, the balloons are not.
\nReuse jars and bottles as vases, instead of buying new ones.<\/p>\n

GET CREATIVE<\/h3>\n

Bunting always adds a lovely look\/vibe to any celebration. Make your own from paper or\u00a0fabric. Or if you’re not the DIY type, these are a great plastic-free option: Recycled paper\u00a0bunting<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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USE REAL GLASS, PLATES AND SILVERWARE<\/h3>\n

Use what you have \u2014 the more mismatched the better!
\nYou can find great inexpensive crockery from secondhand shops or borrow some from\u00a0friends and family.
\nUse fabric napkins<\/a> instead of paper ones. This not only reduces waste but also looks so\u00a0much nicer.<\/p>\n

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Make or buy glass bottles of cordial to mix with water rather than buying drinks in disposable\u00a0bottles, or choose drinks in returnable\/refundable bottles. You can add lemon slices or\u00a0edible flowers to your drink dispenser or bottles\/pitchers.
\nIf you don’t have enough glasses, reuse jars as drinking glasses. They’re typically stronger\u00a0and you won\u2019t be too upset should some of them break.
\nGo strawless or have a jar of reusable straws handy instead of plastic ones. They make\u00a0lovely party favours as well. I really like glass ‘Stream Straws’<\/a> and Bamboo ones from ‘We\u00a0care collective’<\/a>\u2019
\nThey also look great in cocktails.<\/p>\n

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FOOD<\/h3>\n

Cook\/bake from scratch. Most baking ingredients can be found in paper or glass and fresh\u00a0ingredients can be bought without packaging using Freshbags<\/a>.
\nIf this isn’t possible, at least avoid buying over packaged food and drinks. For example, instead\u00a0of buying a plastic tray of cupcakes, order from a local bakery where you can use\u00a0your own containers.<\/p>\n

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Use Reusable bowl covers<\/a> or\u00a0Beeswax wraps<\/a> instead of cling film to cover your dishes before\u00a0and after the party.<\/p>\n

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PARTY FAVOURS<\/h3>\n

This is where you can get really creative.
\nI chose to make seed bombs and package them in\u00a0Flax gift bags<\/a>. Little packets of seeds\u00a0also make lovely party favours.<\/p>\n