A Complete Guide to Hosting a Zero-Waste Picnic
Eating al fresco is a wonderful way to transform an ordinary meal into an extraordinary one. Whether you’re tailgating, having a backyard barbecue, or hosting a picnic in the park, it’s a terrific occasion to bond with friends and family. Of course, all the benefits of indulging in fantastic food while soaking up some sunshine and breathing in fresh air can’t be overlooked, either.
Unfortunately, traditional picnics tend to exemplify the disposable society we now live in. They’re a blur of styrofoam plates, single-use cups and utensils, plastic wrap, and zip-lock bags. All those products are convenient to use, and they make for fast, simple cleanup. They’re not exactly good for the environment, though.
Creating a Zero-Waste Picnic
If you want to minimize your footprint when dining outdoors, reducing waste is the key to making it happen. There are several steps you can take to create a perfect picnic without creating excessive amounts of trash in the process. Take a look at the following ideas for hosting a picnic that’s both fun and environmentally friendly.
Use Melamine Dishes
Disposable plates make up the bulk of picnic waste. According to recent reports, more than 5 billion pounds of styrofoam, much of that in the form of plates and food containers, end up in landfills, oceans, lakes, and rivers each year. Once there, they can spend years emitting greenhouse gases and endangering wildlife.
Bringing reusable dishes to your picnic is one of the simplest ways to reduce waste. Melamine plates, bowls, and platters are perfect for outdoor use. They travel well, and they can handle being dropped on the ground or even on asphalt parking lots. They’re also easy to clean and take care of, and even the messiest burgers and sauciest barbecues won’t stain them.
Aside from all that, you’ll find a vast selection of colorful plates that are sure to add plenty of flair to your outdoor meals. You can take them camping, glamping, or tailgating or simply stock your outdoor kitchen with a set of melamine dinnerware to reduce your reliance on paper and styrofoam.
Additional Uses for Melamine Dishes
Melamine dinnerware and serving dishes are excellent choices for outdoor dining, but they can serve far more purposes than holding food. For example, you can set aside a large serving bowl for collecting trash and scraps. That’ll keep them from getting scattered while you’re enjoying your outing. You can use multiple bowls to keep trash and compostable materials separate as well.
If you want to create a lovely centerpiece for your picnic, you can use a melamine dish as a vessel for flowers. To keep utensils in place and well within everyone’s reach, you can place them on plates or in bowls. You can also use melamine trays for passing around salt, pepper, and condiments at your picnic.
Opt for Reusable Cups and Utensils
An estimated 40 billion plastic utensils get thrown away each year in America alone, which further contributes to the growing problem of pollution. Consider opting for stainless steel or bamboo utensils instead of disposables. Both are sturdy, and neither is meant to be used once and thrown away.
By some accounts, more than 60 million disposable bottles make their way into the environment every day. They pose serious hazards to plants, animals, and marine life, and they can take centuries to decompose. Reusable plastic cups, tumblers, and water bottles are nice alternatives to disposables.
Compost Scraps When Possible
Another way to make your picnic more environmentally friendly is to compost your scraps. Some parks have on-site compost bins or systems for visitors to use. If they’re not available at your picnic venue, you can compost scraps at home.
Either way, be careful about what you place in a compost bin. Most fruits and vegetables are appropriate for composting. Paper napkins are acceptable as well. Some items that shouldn’t be placed in a compost system are meats, bones, bread that’s covered with mayonnaise, and dairy products. Composting your scraps not only reduces waste but allows you to use some of the leftovers from your picnic to benefit the planet.
Leave No Trash Behind
No matter how dedicated you are to hosting a zero-waste outing, you’re bound to have at least a little trash once all is said and done. Don’t leave it behind. Be sure everything you bring to your picnic leaves with you or makes its way into a trash can. Always leave your venue as clean as it was when you arrived if not cleaner.
Fun, Flavorful Zero-Waste Food and Beverage Ideas
In keeping with the zero-waste theme, there are numerous ways to use and repurpose foods to create wonderful dishes and drinks for your picnic. For one, you could make a nice salad with a lemon vinaigrette. Instead of throwing away the the peels from your cucumbers and the remnants of your juiced lemons, set them aside. Then, place them in a diffuser and make refreshing cucumber-lemon water to serve your guests.
On a warm day, cold, fresh fruit makes a fantastic addition to a meal. Watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, and blueberries meld together beautifully. Rather than serving them in a conventional bowl, though, you could present them in a hollowed-out watermelon rind or use cantaloupe rinds as individual serving bowls. You can cover them with beeswax wraps or compostable cling wrap for travel. After the picnic, compost the rinds and the wraps.
Another creative option is to use edible bowls. Serve dip or pasta salad in bell peppers instead of ramekins. Stuff hollowed-out tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and basil to make a Caprese salad. Those are only a few of the ways to use your imagination, ramp up your presentation, and minimize waste.
Eco-Friendly Picnics Everyone Will Enjoy
Dining outdoors is a wonderful way to combine the joys of a delicious meal, good company, and a perfectly glorious day. It can also create a great deal of waste and ultimately take a major toll on the planet. Though disposable plates, bowls, cups, and utensils make cleanup fast and simple, they’re certainly not the most environmentally friendly options on the market.
Making reusable dishes and utensils part of your outings can reduce that negative impact. Composting your scraps and taking care to dispose of trash properly will further reduce your footprint. Getting creative with the foods you serve can help you minimize waste as well. Zero-waste picnics can go a long way toward preserving the beauty of nature for countless outings to come.
