How to entertain sustainably

Everybody loves a good dinner party – what’s not to love, celebrating an occasion with your family and friends or simply catching up over a delicious meal, there is nothing better than getting together to enjoy each other’s company and some great food.

But what weighs on many Australians’ minds is how to host the perfect dinner party sustainably that doesn’t result in a tonne full of waste.

It is clear acting sustainably and reducing waste is top of mind for many, as 64% of Aussies have an inside recycling bin at home¹.

If you are looking to host guests for an upcoming dinner party, here are some hacks from Aussie Tik Tok mum Chantel Mila on how to entertain sustainably.

1. Invite your guests to take leftovers

Leftover food is always a given when hosting a dinner party. As many tend to think it is better to have more food than not enough. However, sometimes we don’t anticipate just how much leftover food we’ll have at the end of the night – and most of the time, we end up throwing it in the bin!

When sending your guests their invitations, ask them to bring a food container along with them to the party. Invite them to take home leftovers so they can enjoy some of their favourites from your dinner party the next day and help reduce the amount of food that will end up in your bin. Plus, who doesn’t love another night off cooking?

However, if your guests do forget their container, another way to ensure they go home with some delicious leftovers, wrap their food with a more sustainable choice such as the Glad to be Green® 50% Plant-Based Cling Wrap or Reseal Bags. These are the more sustainable choice as they are produced with 50% plant-based material giving them a smaller carbon footprint in comparison to the standard Glad® Snaplock bags.

2. Provide 3 bins at your party for easy clean up!

Party clean-ups can be tedious and time-consuming. Not knowing what waste goes where and how to ensure you are recycling the right items correctly can be overwhelming.

To ensure an easy after-party clean-up, provide 3 bins to guarantee the right waste is going into the right bin. At your dinner party, include:

• A food scraps bin: for food waste that can be composted, line your bin with the Glad to be Green® Compostable Caddy Liners, as they are compostable and are diverted away from landfill.
• A general waste bin: I like to line my general waste bin with the Glad to be Green® 95% Recycled Plastic Bags. They are perfect, guaranteeing an easy clean-up. They also come in three different sizes, small, medium, and large, to accommodate for whatever size bin you have at home.
• A recycling bin: for all items that can be recycled

3. Keep your coffee grounds

Coffee is the perfect beverage to end a dinner party and a must-have, for some, after a meal.

Depending on the type of coffee you are serving, if it is grounded coffee, don’t throw away our used coffee grounds; they actually have a second lifespan for several different things, such as:

• Used to fertilise plants
• When placed in the fridge, they can absorb food odours
• After being boiled on the stovetop, they can be used as a natural home fragrance.

4. Repurpose your empty wine bottles

Whether you like to enjoy a heavy red, a refreshing white or even a glass of bubbly at a dinner party, a lot of people may not realise or know that your empty wine bottles can be reused in several different ways around the house.

• Try reusing your empty wine bottles as storage for items like vinegar and olive oil (especially if you like to buy your olive oil by the 4L can).
• Use your wine bottles as a candle stick holder – super easy, and all you need is a long stick candle to pop on top – the perfect solution!
• DIY light lantern – by painting your own design around the bottle and popping it inside a few cordless twinkle lights, you’ll have the cutest lantern that can be used any time of the year.
• Table decor – great for using as vases to hold some florals for your next dinner party.

5. Store your cheese appropriately

Cheeseboards are always a hit at dinner parties, but one thing that is common is having leftover cut pieces at the end of the night. Instead of throwing them away, wrap any leftover cheese slices in the Glad to be Green® Compostable Bake Paper to keep fresh for the next day. You can also use those leftover pieces in a meal, whether that be a cheese toasty or topping for a pasta.

So, when you’re planning your next dinner party, remember there are many ways to reduce food waste, recycle correctly and ultimately party smarter for the sake of our environment.