Tips for Green Events with Zero Waste CO
Spring and summer are right around the corner and there is nothing we love more than outdoor entertaining. We asked the owner of Zero Waste CO, Sofia Ratcovich to share some tips on zero waste event planning.
Tip #1 : Keep it classy and USE REAL CUPS.
Encourage your friends to bring their own reusable cups and offer a prize to who has the coolest cup. If you go out to a party, Always Bring your own cup & don't get your drink confused with anybody else's. There is such a huge amount of landfill waste from cups alone.
Pro Tip: Make sure the dishwasher is empty before guests arrive, keep the sink clear of stuff in case you provide the cups and don't forget to leave out some soap and a sponge. If you follow these tips above, your friends will be more motivated to clean up after themselves and they might even help you clean up too.
Tip #2 : Skip the straw!
Whether you are at a party or your favorite restaurant, remember to tell your server "No Straw Please" EVERY TIME you order a drink. This may seem like an obnoxious request, but not really, considering the fact that Americans use 500 million straws a day. If you are one of those people that really wants to use a straw for every drink, then invest in a durable and reusable glass straw. This will help you avoid harmful BPA and other nasty chemicals found in conventional plastic straws.
Have you seen that video about the turtle & the plastic straw? Watch it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wH878t78bw or don't. It's basically 8 minutes of torture for the poor animal and the folks watching the video. You might be thinking, how can my straw end up in the ocean if I'm not a litterbug? Well, trash cans on the sidewalk sometimes get full, then they overflow onto city streets and all the trash on the ground basically will end up in the storm drain which flows directly to the ocean. Just avoid the straw.
Tip #3 : While your at it, say no to plastic forks
The statistics on plastic forks is the same of not worse as the straw. I have three kids and have gotten used to packing these cute bamboo sets for our days out. As a family of five one outing could result in throwing away 10 plastic forks, 10 plastic knives, 10 plastic spoons and 20 straws. Now times that by how many days of the year we leave the house. That is a lot of waste.
Zero Waste Company helps companies and event coordinators to create a 100% zero waste environment.
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