How to Host a Sustainable Summer Gathering in New Zealand

Summer in New Zealand is basically an extended excuse to eat outside with people you like. The problem is that gatherings, by default, tend to generate a lot of rubbish. Disposable plates, plastic cups, cling wrap over serving platters, six-packs of drinks in plastic rings, garbage bags full of single-use packaging at the end of the night.

None of that is actually necessary, and sorting it out doesn't mean asking your guests to bring their own cutlery or pretending everyone loves paper straws. Here's how to host a genuinely low-waste summer gathering without making a big deal of it.

Drinks

Skip the single-serve bottles and cans where you can. A big jug of water with cucumber and mint looks better on a table than a tray of plastic bottles and is infinitely more satisfying. For juice or sparkling drinks, buy in larger glass bottles. If you're serving wine or beer, glass bottles are the natural choice anyway, and many NZ producers are also switching to lighter-weight glass.

Food and serving

If you have enough plates and glasses for the number of guests, use them. Washing up afterwards takes less time than the alternative and generates zero waste. If you're catering for a large group and genuinely don't have enough crockery, ask friends to bring a plate and a glass each. Most people own a set or two and are happy to help.

Beeswax wraps keep things covered while you're still preparing food. They mould around bowls and platters like cling wrap but can be washed and used again.

For serving leftovers at the end of the night, stainless steel or glass containers are the cleanest option.

Food itself

The most wasteful part of any gathering is usually the packaging the food arrived in before it even made it to the table. Shopping with reusable cotton mesh produce bags, buying in bulk where you can, and choosing products with minimal packaging reduces the waste that comes in the door in the first place.

Cleaning up

This is where disposable products usually appear. Paper towels for wiping benches, a new bottle of dish soap. A Swedish dishcloth handles wiping down surfaces beautifully and can go in the wash. A wooden dish brush handles the dishes. The EcoWarehouse dish soap in a reusable bottle means you're not going through a new bottle every time.

Waste on the night

Set up a clear system so guests don't have to think about it. One bin clearly labelled for recycling, one for compost (if you have a bokashi or compost bin), and one for general waste. If you keep the general waste option small, most people will put in the effort to sort correctly.

The goal isn't a zero-waste party where everyone feels slightly anxious. It's a good gathering that just happens to generate a lot less rubbish than usual. When the systems are in place and the alternatives are just as easy to use, most guests won't even notice the difference.

Find reusable entertaining essentials at ecowarehouse.nz.