Picnics, being outdoors, tossing frisbees and footballs, grilling at the park, and enjoying the sun. Yep, that is the joy of great weather! We love the nostalgia, the memories, family and friends gathering together grilling out and watching fireworks, it’s amazing! But there is an unspoken ghost; garbage. 

In this post, I’ll be covering 4 ways you can create less garbage and still fully enjoy your picnics. It may seem daunting or maybe even boring, but you can easily change one or more ways you have picnics, and you may find that it’s more enjoyable than single use or pre-prepped items. We will cover…

• Shopping For Food
• Dishes & Cutlery
• Food Storage & Transportation
• Party Decor

Back to the garbage ghost… I’m talking about the plastic plates, cups, and utensils, the packaged food items, plastic table liners and balloons, party streamers, fun sparkly headbands and outfits, and let’s not forget the random nic-nacs that will get played with for 2 hours or less. Before you know it, trash cans and dumpsters are filling up and overflowing. And the truth is, you do not need all of those things to make for a really great time with friends and family.

The great news is that you can still have a fun, memorable, and nostalgic party with those you love, and do all of it with minimal to zero waste! How do I know? Because I did it, and you can, too. I’m going to share a few tips to help you this weekend, and all those amazing picnics you’re going to have in the future!

Before we dig in, it’s important to understand that if you already have plastic containers, dishes, etc, that you should not be eliminating plastic for the sake of eliminating plastic. The real goal here needs to be to not buy new plastics. If you want to read more about that topic, check out my recent post where I explain that buying new plastics is a big part of the problems of going plastic free. 

Try one (or all) of these tips and see how awesome you can be at minimizing the amount of waste you and your family and friends create during a picnic (or any other outdoor event)!

TIP #1 – Shopping For Food

Food is everyone’s favorite part of the cookout, right? But I won’t sugar coat it, it can be pretty challenging to find foods that are NOT wrapped in plastic. Just do your best. Think of other simple and fun foods that will ‘picnic’ well. Believe that your picnic can be amazing, you’re just going to change a few things. 

Instead of buying pre-cut fruits (in plastic non-recyclable containers), buy big fruits like pineapple, mellons, and cut them up yourself. Or prepare a fruit salad, who doesn’t love those! For your veggies, avoid veggies wrapped or bagged in plastic, build your own mix of veggies you know people will like. You know which veggies are the least favorite for your party goers. Don’t buy them!

To sum up veggies and fruits: Avoid any that are wrapped in plastic. If you’re able to, shop for local produce. It’s healthier, and we need to support our local farms and food suppliers! 

Here’s a fun tip: Did you know that you can take the plastic wrap off the cucumber, take the apples out of the plastic bag, or take the grapes out of the bag and leave the plastic behind? Yep! It shows the store owners that “we don’t want your plastic”. They need to know we (their customers) don’t want any part in useless plastic.

Some items may have to be wrapped in plastic, such as meats, but it is possible that you could bring your own containers, or ask for paper or cardboard containers when buying items in bulk. Bring your own reused bags, containers, and ask for non-plastic alternatives. Believe it or not, it’s fun, and for the most part employees will try to accommodate. The more they hear customers asking for better options, the more likely we are to see real change.

Think about your meal and make it simple and fun!

TIP #2 – Dishes & Cutlery

Dishes are a tough one, but why? 

The biggest complaint I hear is that we don’t want to wash dishes when we get home. But I’ve been doing this for 2+ years, and I can tell you that when you start thinking “waste less”, you save a lot of money, and washing the dishes is actually so easy because you’ve simplified your meal on purpose. Because you’re being more strategic, you have less to wash!

The second biggest complaint about bringing real dishes is that they’re often heavier and bulkier and well, inconvenient.

I’ll do my best to make it a painless transition for you, but yes, it does take a little bit of planning.

1. Simplify the dishes you ACTUALLY need. By keeping it simple, you’ll be bringing less, and guess what? You’ll be washing less, too! You can keep things basic and still have an incredible and memorable experience with your family and friends. 
2. Bring real utensils, cups, and plates, and ask people to use the same dishes for the whole meal. For each person, they will need a plate, cup, and utensils. No need for more beyond that, no one needs to use a different plate for seconds!
3. Avoid new. I’ve gone to second hand stores and purchased metal utensils for picnics, and even small glass plates, but you can buy or use pre owned plastic, metal, or glass dishes, whatever feels right for you, but avoid buying brand new plastic items.
4. Cookware and food trays can be a challenge, but if you prepare your food before the picnic, you wont be bringing extra items like knives, cutting boards, additional bowls, and so on. Something I always consider when I’m preparing foods is, “what can I put together?” I’ll have one tray with veggies and fruit, that’s easy. Then I’ll make one tray or container with the sandwich toppings, one tray with the sweets, one container with prepared salad, and so on. Does that make sense?

Food is fun, but it wouldn’t be much fun without the people you love to share it with. Make memories, not garbage for the sake of convenience!

TIP #3 – Food Storage & Transportation

Maybe you feel like it’s impossible to avoid plastic. The truth is, we are so used to the plastic convenience items that we don’t know how to function differently. There is no judgment, and no doom. This should be an enjoyable process, but I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that you will experience growing pains. 

Just remember, the biggest problem we can avoid is brand new plastics. 

Ok, so to avoid plastic baggies and plastic films for traveling with your food, it takes practice, determination, and exploring new ideas. Here are a few ideas to help you succeed.

1. Instead of plastic Ziplock baggies, try things like emptying the shredded cheese bag and reusing it for carrot sticks. (side note: those bags are so much more durable than ZipLock bags anyway)
2. Instead of plastic wrap, try silicone covers for containers. I have some at home and love them, they’re definitely worth it, or try beeswax wraps, too. Or, just use a container!
3. Get creative and use containers you might not have used before, such as small tins for childrens snacks or nuts, or mason jars for liquid, or turning your old to-go boxes into veggie trays. 

Coming soon, we are working on a Pinterest board for creative picnic ideas! !

TIP #4 – Party Decor

If you’re going to throw an outdoor party AND picnic, here are a few easy tips for the party decor. 

There are a LOT of great options for products that are NOT made out of plastic, not packaged in plastic, and are super fun. They will not leave you feeling like you’re missing out on the “joy” that plastic brings. I know how much you want everything to be picture perfect, but remember that if everyone is happy, it’s a perfect moment. So don’t feel overwhelmed or discouraged, just have fun and enjoy the moment! 

Keep these tips in mind:

1. Avoid plastic items, including the plastic packaging 
2. Buy items made of natural elements
3. Buy items you can use again next year, or for other occasions
4. Instead of buying your food items with the intension of popping colors, use non-edibles such as streamers, umbrellas, table cloths (yes, use cloth not plastic!), and so on. Because most food dyes are incredibly bad for your body and even the environment, steer away from food dyes.  
5. Make your own decor! 

Check out our Pinterest inspirations!

Conclusion

At the end of any party comes the dreaded cleanup, right? You may want to just toss the dirty dishes and table clothes in the garbage and call it a day, but the problem is that so many people are doing that already, and if we don’t start working now on how we can waste less, when will we? 

Now is the time. If you’re able to implement even one of the tips shared in this post, you’re moving forward. Add one more, and one more, and then please come back and share how your experience is going! 

The ultimate goal is to use less, waste less, and pollute less. And after doing my own research and experimenting at home for over 2 years, picnics and parties without buying plastic are possible, and even easy. 

Remember to share tips, tricks, and inspiration in the comments below, and explore creative solutions with us on how we can picnic without plastic!