10 Brilliant Zero-Waste Event Ideas for a Greener Future

Thank you to all the readers for thinking about a zero-waste event. You are on the right path to leave the planet a little better for the next generation. If you just look around you will find several other people who do want to have eco-friendly, zero-waste events but either have no idea or are a bit hesitant to be the first one to host a zero-waste event.

There is no shortage of ideas in today’s world, I am sure my ideas are not new in any way. Almost all these things our older generation was doing it unknowingly and was living a better life.

My best audience has been young kids who just love to get involved even in the planning stage of the event and become my brand ambassadors who help me to spread awareness far and wide.

Let’s get straight into specifics, in this post I will provide ten brilliant, actionable ideas for all of you to use in your events.

All these zero-waste event ideas are my tried and tested ideas which I have hosted and have been a hugely appreciated by all the guests.

Zero-Waste Event: Minimalist Event Design

Adopt Minimalist Design for Maximum Impact

Every single effort towards sustainability and zero-waste event is a great effort, don’t ever think about what I can do alone. Even if few of us start doing whatever we can, it will make an impact.

I started alone a few years back and now I have a group of people who support me and have taken steps towards sustainable living and zero-waste lifestyle.

I have written some other posts on the same subject, you can check them out below.

Zero-Waste Event

Arranging a zero-waste event sound very difficult but if planned well, its really not a very big task. With the readily available list of ideas, it becomes quite easy. Your first zero-waste event may not be 100% zero-waste but something is always better than nothing. Even if you are able to reduce the waste by 20-30%, it would be a great achievement.

There was never a better time than now, so just get ready and host your next event as a zero-waste event. These are some of the zero-waste event management strategies which you can follow to host a successful event.

Zero-Waste Event Invitations

This is a bit contributor of waste for any event. I don’t see any point of sending physical invite as they are only used as a reference once and thrown away, generating waste. I ensure that I use only e-invite shared via digital medium. This significantly reduces the unnecessary waste generation. You can also display this digital invite on the display board outside the venue.

You can prepare very beautiful digital e-invite online on Canva which is my favorite tool for almost all my online editing. Recently I made an e-invite for a party hosted by my mother and all her friends loved it. Next comes their request to make invites for their parties too, which I was more than happy to accommodate as it takes hardly few minutes to make it on Canva.

There are several free templates available on Canva which you can customize it as per your needs and if you have time, you can upload your own photos and design the invite from scratch. You can invite on Canva in less than 2 minutes and they look so pretty.

Zero-Waste Event: Location of Venue

While selecting the venue I pay quite a bit of attention to the location of the venue. Venue must be accessible and near to a public transport. In my quest, I was able to find some lovely venues that provide private transport at specific times from venue to the public transport generally to the nearest railway station. This service is also available in most of the apartment buildings located far from the city area.

I always look to the venue which is most accessible for most of the people and being conscious about the environment, I started putting a line in my invite that “If possible please use public transport or shared transport”. When I just started writing this even my partner was very upset and didn’t want me to put this. But as usual I am quite stubborn when it comes to sustainable living and I went ahead and put this in the invitation but to my surprise several of the guests were quite happy to see this line and as they also wanted to do something for the environment but were hesitant to take the first step. This gave them a chance to start doing the right thing. Yes, there were several people who criticized it and said rude things but I was ok with that as this was something very new and it takes time for people to accept anything new specially if its out of the normally accepted things.

After years of doing this, all my friends expect that this line will be there is some or the other form in my invite and most of them try to make it work too. This makes me really happy as transportation emissions are one of the biggest reason of pollution.

Zero-Waste Event: Timing of the Event

From past few years I have started hosting the parties in the first half of the day or latest by mid-afternoon compare to the night parties. I always prefer venues that provide outdoor settings as it greatly reduces the usage of electricity and decorations.

Moreover, In my experience outdoor events in the day time are much more appreciated by young kids and older generation while teenagers and young adults prefer night events. Most of my kids birthday parties are kept from the mid-morning or noon slot on the weekends.

I am even trying to do this for professional get togethers as its easier to connect with people when you are fresh compare to after the whole day of work. This will also help in building better bond with people.

Zero-Waste Event Supplies and Decorations

As a personal preference, I opt for venues that already provide reusable decorations. This not only simplifies the setup process but also allows for creative flexibility. The existing decorations can be easily rearranged and modified to achieve a fresh and unique look for each event. This approach not only reduces waste but also ensures a stylish and personalized atmosphere without the need for purchasing new items. Also this helps in reducing the over all cost of the event.

I have also used the food counter as a part of venue decorations. I will set up all the colorful fruits or cookies or cup cakes in a corner table with some fancy arrangements and that corner is all done. This is generally a super hit idea in kids parties as it also helps in reducing the crowd at one place.

Also if the event is day event, natural decorations made of leaves and flowers looks very beautiful as they are biodegradable and available easily. You just need little imagination to use them for decoration purpose. Generally I leave this work to my younger one and her friends and they are super excited to do it. Several of them have told me that they looks forward to this activity.

If venue doesn’t come with the pre available reusable decorations and I don’t have option to use natural material which is generally the case if the party is for small kids as they like colorful decorations, I opt for paper decorations as they can be recycled.

I try my best to make these decorations at home with my kids but at times when in hurry, I buy paper decorations from Amazon. My favorite product is “35PCS Fiesta Paper Fan Party Decorations Set“, it costs me less than 16$ and i am quite happy with the quality. I have used the same set multiple times as all the pieces comes with full instructions and even if i am not able to understand instruction, simple videos are available on youtube.

Zero-Waste Event: Lighting for the Event

Electricity is produced by using mostly pollution-causing sources like diesel and coal. We can’t control the source of electricity but we can surely control the usage of it. I try to use sustainable alternatives to regular electricity like solar energy. I have a solar energy setup even at my home which generates enough energy for my entire home even enough to charge my electric TESLA.

I look for similar features in the venue and prefer to select the venues which provides sustainable electricity sources.

If the event is in the evening, I have no option other than to use electric lighting, in this case, I ensure that only LED lighting is used in the entire event. I have written an entire post about LED Lights, You can read 8 Must-Have Party LED Lights to Instantly Brighten Up Your Bash! to know more.

LED light bulbs have a much longer life span and use less electricity compared to their regular counterparts.

Zero-Waste Event Catering Options

Any event success is hugely dependent on the food and drinks. These are very important part of any event be it kids party, grown up’s party or any corporate event. I try to get the source from local markets but if my need is huge I also buy raw ingredients or fruits or vegetables from Amazon or from any local shop which ensures that they will provide me the eco-friendly packaging and also helps in ensuring that there will be not be any plastic packaging used while delivering. Most of the fruits, vegetables, grains I buy in bulk from Amazon and meat I prefer to buy from local meat vendor as I am sure of the quality I will get.

Whenever possible, I try to have majority of the food at my events as finger foods made from fresh vegetables and fruits. This not only promotes healthy eating but also aligns with my commitment to sustainability. One of my favorite appetizers is a platter of carrot and cucumber sticks paired with cottage cheese. It’s a simple yet delicious option that guests always enjoy. This is a huge hit among the grown up’s parties, specially if the dip is good.

Additionally, I love incorporating fresh fruits into the menu. They are universally appreciated by both children and adults, making them a versatile and popular choice for any gathering.

I have ordered fresh fruits from Amazon multiple times and i have always been happy with their service. While placing the order, I always inform them not to use any plastic to wrap individual fruits and no bubble wrap and place the different fruits in different cardboard boxes. These boxes are straight go for recycling, meeting my zero-waste event objective.

I also make sure not to serve water in disposable bottles. If it’s a kids’ party, I include a note in the invitation asking parents to send their children with their own water bottles. During the event, I refill these bottles as needed, which not only reduces waste but also helps prevent children from drinking from each other’s used cups.

For adult gatherings, I place water jugs at multiple locations around the venue. I provide reusable or paper cups, depending on the venue’s facilities. This approach significantly reduces the number of plastic bottles that would otherwise go to waste, helping to save tons of plastic and promote a more sustainable event.

Zero-Waste Event Cutlery

In most of my parties I try to get a caterer who provides the reusable metal or ceramic cutlery. Most of the venues do provide this service. But if the crowd is too large and caterer or the venue management is not able to manage the reusable cutlery option and I have to use disposable cutlery, my go to option is biodegradable cutlery. You can read more about it 5 Brilliant Reasons to Switch to Biodegradable Cutlery – Your Eco-Friendly Party Hero!.

Zero-Waste Event Post Event Waste Management

After a successful event, most of us want to go home and relax and enjoy the success of the party and leave the waste management on the cleaning staff. Generally if you are having the event at some outside venue, they will take care of it. So I need to be fully aware of the waste management process of a venue before I can go-ahead with it.

I have always ensured that all biodegradable waste goes to composting unit and recyclable material goes for recycling and try my best to reduce the plastic or non biodegradable waste generation from my parties.

My home composting unit is quite small and it cam accommodate the waste generated by around 8-10 people but more people, I need to give the waste to the nearby composting unit.

I look for the same waste management in the venue. Organizers must have a composting unit with in their own premises or must have a regular tie up with a composting unit to ensure that all biodegradable waste and recyclable waste is managed properly.

I also ensure to display this in the party by putting the correct types of bins in a decorative way to ensure that they look part of the party instead of waste bins. Above is the picture of my own waste management which i have used number of times till now. Inside of these waste boxes is made of metal and I don’t use any plastic bags inside, which might not sound good but helps me in reducing the plastic waste. These are made of metal once emptied I just wash them with water hose and dry them in the sun and they are as good as new. These are already few years old and used not only by me but also by my friends. These are made at home by my partner using the old metal trunks we had at home. He is a magician when it comes to repurposing the old stuff. I think similar ones are available on Amazon also. These will be one time investment and its absolutely worth it.

I have used funny flowcharts to engage guests and also set up games for kids to get them engaged. I have also taught my little solders stories about the waste management and few of them have forced their parents at home to ensure that recycling happens at home too. What a great achievement, I am so proud of the kids.

Zero-Waste Event: Track and Share the Impact

This is my favorite part of any event as this really helps me to explain the impact of our action to all my guests. I keep last few minutes of all my events to explain the impact of having a zero-waste event on the environment. I have worked really hard to understand the impact of each person using plastic disposable cutlery, air flown food products, plastic decorations, party favors and even electricity, water wastage.

Based on the my observations, below are my calculations.

Disposable Water bottle weight : 30gm

Plastic Cutlery Weight: 20gm

Average Water bottle consumption per person: 3 bottles

Average Cutlery consumption per person : 2 sets

Total Plastic saved per person: 130 gm

Total Plastic saved by an event of 50 people: 6,500 gm / 14.33 pounds

Therefore, by hosting a zero-waste event, you can save approximately 130 grams of plastic waste per person. For a small event with 50 guests, this amounts to around 6.5 kilograms (14.33 pounds) of plastic waste saved.

This plastic waste a huge environmental impact and using the alternative will not only help in reducing the pollution but will also help in improving the air and water quality for us and also for our next generations.

Reducing Pollution

• Landfills: Plastic waste often ends up in landfills, where it can take hundreds of years to decompose, releasing harmful chemicals into the soil and groundwater.
• Oceans: Plastic waste that doesn’t reach landfills frequently ends up in oceans, posing a severe threat to marine life. Marine animals can ingest plastic debris, leading to injury or death.

By using the alternative, we can save our landfills and oceans from this plastic waste.

Conserving Resources

• Energy: Producing plastic requires significant amounts of energy, mostly derived from fossil fuels. By reducing plastic use, we conserve energy and reduce our reliance on non-renewable resources.
• Raw Materials: The production of plastic consumes large quantities of natural resources, including oil and natural gas. Reducing plastic consumption helps conserve these valuable resources.

Lowering Carbon Footprint

• Emissions: The production and disposal of plastic contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. By cutting down on plastic waste, we can significantly reduce our carbon footprint, mitigating the effects of climate change.

Promoting Sustainability

• Awareness: Hosting a zero-waste event raises awareness about sustainability and encourages guests to adopt eco-friendly practices in their daily lives.
• Culture Change: By setting an example, zero-waste events can inspire broader cultural shifts towards sustainability and environmental responsibility.

Adopting zero-waste practices at your events not only helps reduce waste but also contributes to a healthier planet by mitigating pollution, conserving resources, lowering carbon emissions, and promoting a culture of sustainability.

Just imagine a corporate event which is attended by hundred’s of people, the amount of plastic can be saved just by replacing the cutlery alone. It may sound impossible to achieve it but with right motivation and preparation, it can be achieved.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, just ask around in your community and you will find several people who are partially doing something on the same lines. You can work with them and bring all of them together to make a successful zero-waste event.

Hope that you like my idea, all of these ideas are my own and tried and tested for past couple of years. I have hosted my kids birthday parties, our anniversary parties, 4th of July parties, Christmas and new year parties and several other get togethers. I did fail miserable in the first few parties and it was my partner who picked up the slack and fixed the party on the go but he always encouraged me to try again. And thanks to him now i have become a pro in arranging zero-waste parties. Now i already have my set venues which meet all my demands and I have stock of all necessary materials at home to host the party with little notice.

Please feel free to leave your comments and any idea or hacks which you have used in making your party a zero-waste event or even if there are any tricks you have used to reduce your plastic waste, i would love to learn from all of you.

Please do check out my other posts.