Say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new in green style! It is possible to have a fun holiday feast or blowout New Year’s Eve party that jump-starts resolutions about reducing clutter and living lighter on the planet in 2023.
Here are some timely entertaining tips from Whole Foods that will serve you well for all of 2023 — and what’s left of 2022:
- Instead of resorting to disposable cups, use wine glass charms, ribbon, twine, rubber bands, or other items to create a unique marking system for glasses, cups, and mugs. Everyone knows which cup is theirs, and nothing goes in the trash!
- If your party isn’t formal, acquire a mix of plates and beverage glasses at local thrift stores and yard sales. It can be fun to drink wine out of juice glasses and jelly jars; they aren’t as tippy as stemware. After your party, box everything up and return it to the thrift store. The organization receives a nice “donation” from you, and you aren’t left with the clutter — or a trash can full of paper plates.
- While beer bottles and cans are recyclable, they’re also heavy and take up a lot of space in the recycling bin. Consider springing for a torpedo keg, a pony keg, or a whole keg. Beer glasses are washable, as are plastic cups. And, of course, you return the keg and its tackle.
- Self-serve buffet tables with a choice of small bites, carefully labeled for guests with dietary restrictions, make a lot of sense for limiting food waste and/or leftovers. Check out our great small bites recipes and spend a few minutes with our servings calculator while making your shopping list, and you can purchase more accurately for the number of guests you expect.
- Keep an eye on the buffet table and ensure nothing cooked sits out longer than two hours – this will help prevent throwing out the food that’s no longer safe to eat.
- For a formal event, consider borrowing or renting tableware and serve ware. You can return them the next day and not have to worry about storing them year-round.
- Cloth napkins, of course. Hopefully, you have dozens by now. If not, see the thrift store tip above. You can find cotton bandanas for about a dollar each for informal parties. Or a length of cotton fabric can be cut into serviette-sized squares and washed once to give a fringed effect.
- If single-use serve ware is best for your needs, you can now find a gratifying selection of recyclable and compostable options in our stores. Handy for drinks and small bites parties, some stores carry elegant appetizer plates designed to hold a wine glass made from a sugarcane fiber-based paperboard called bagasse. Other serve ware and some utensils are made from bamboo, an eminently renewable resource that composts well. Finally, some stores carry plates made from dried tropical leaves that are lovely to hold and use.
- Enlist guests to help with recycling and cleanup. Clearly label bins for recyclables and compost and put out trays for washables.
Finally, enjoy and celebrate the season, your friends and family — and the food!
Find local Bergen County area events information on mybergen.com!
