By Emily Obringer, Conservation Coordinator
Are you excited to gather safely with friends this July 4th? Learn how you can easily throw a festive celebration without sacrificing your pledge to be plastic free!
The easiest, and most obvious way to cut down on waste is to switch to reusable dinnerware. Start by swapping out flimsy plastic cutlery for reusable silverware. Plastic, styrofoam, and paper plates cannot be recycled or composted, by not offering these items you can make a huge difference. Every piece of plastic ever made still exists today in some shape or form. Plastic never goes away, it breaks into smaller pieces through photodegradation and wave action. Photodegradation happens when the sun's ultraviolet rays strike plastic, over time making it brittle and breaking the bonds holding its molecular chain together. Wave action excellerates this process, each time a wave hits a piece of plastic it is similar to a knife cutting plastic into small bits called microplastics. Microplastics are small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long. One plastic bottle can degrade into hundreds, even thousands, of tiny pieces of plastic the size of a grain of sand, which can be eaten by birds or fish.
If your daily glassware and dinnerware won’t accomodate your crowd, or you’re worried about damage, check out your local second hand shop, garage sale, or Facebook Marketplace. A set of silverware will last you 20- 30 years for a minimal cost.
While thrifting look for red, white, and blue glass pitchers, large bowls, and vases that add a practical and colorful element to your party. Keep an eye out for vintage metal picnic baskets which can be used to keep drinks on ice. Don't want to spend money on decor? Look around your home; you may already have red or blue candles, cloth napkins, and various decor traditionally used for Christmas, Hanukkah, Valentine's Day, or Memorial Day that can also be used for your 4th of July celebration. Don’t want to deal with silverware? Craft your menu to include only finger foods or foods that can be eaten with sustainable bamboo appetizer sticks.
Swap out disposable napkins for reusable ones. Bandanas can be used as an inexpensive cloth napkin that can be reused and also come in festive colors for any celebration. Plastic tablecloths look awful by the end of the night. An inexpensive option is to head to your local craft store for fabric by the yard! The Sunday Funnies are a perfect double duty decor providing colorful placemats while sopping up spills. When the party's over it can go straight into the compost or recycle bin.
Enjoy the festivities and avoid monitoring your compost, recycle, and landfill bin by designating an easily accessible area in the kitchen for disposal. Clearly label each container, including visual examples for kids, detailing what items go in each bin. Save time and make sure you have a clear sink or dishwasher and clearly mark where you’d like dirty items to go. Plus, advertising that you’re going waste free will get people talking and is bound to drum up some help from partygoers that are willing to pitch in a couple minutes at the sink!
Now that you have all the information you need to throw an amazing 4th of July party without all the plastic, take the Plastic Free July Pledge!
Or visit our Plastic Free July webpage for more information.