The holiday season is filled with family, friends and delicious food! These flavorful feasts can sometimes be daunting to clean up after—but fortunately, there are plenty of ways to both cut down on cleanup and reduce overall waste from your gathering! Just read on for five simple tips, including how to savor a sustainable meal with Ocala recycling and beyond.
Start with smart shopping and fresh-from-the-garden flavors
A successful, reduced-waste holiday feast begins at the grocery store or farmers market. Bring reusable tote bags to haul home fresh fruits and veggies so that you have less to throw away when you get home. Better yet, grow your own goodies! Even small backyard spaces can be a great place to grow an herb garden including favorites like fresh basil.
Deck out your dining space with a reusable tablecloth
In lieu of a disposable tablecloth, opt for one that can be used year after year! Choose a color that brings warmth and light to your festive space, or opt for a blank white canvas on which your family and friends can draw doodles and leave meaningful messages to be enjoyed this season and for future holiday feasts.
Opt for linens over paper napkins
Another great sustainable alternative is to use linen over paper napkins. Not only does this add an elegant, festive flair to your holiday entertaining, but it also reduces your overall seasonal footprint!
Take the French route
Don’t want to do too many dishes, but also want to avoid a paper plate pile-up? Take the French route! At French dinner parties, guests will often break off pieces of bread and set it on the table near their plate, as opposed to using an entirely new dish for it, helping to reduce waste and cleanup and add a laidback atmosphere to your get-together. You can also opt for family-style dining, in which guests serve themselves out of large communal plates and bowls (instead of each person receiving a separate dish for each new course of the meal).
Recycle where possible
A zero-waste holiday feast sounds great, but it may not be practical for every gathering. Fortunately, you can still host a sustainable event by recycling! Encourage your family and friends to recycle by showing them a convenient place where they can toss paper, cardboard and glass waste and other common recyclables.
We hope that these tips help you enjoy sustainable, reduced-waste holiday gatherings all season long! For questions about how to recycle in Ocala and the surrounding area, call Florida Express Environmental today. We’re here to help.