5 Ways to Reduce Wedding Waste
Planning a wedding that is also sustainable for the environment is going to be as commonplace as cutting the cake and tossing the bouquet. Here are five ways to be ahead of this trend.
- Reduce
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of maintenance. If you don’t generate waste in the first place, there will be less to manage in the end. You can either eliminate a wasteful item or replace it with a reusable version.
Some hot spots for reducing waste:
- Do away with labels. Think twice about whether you want a custom tag for every wedding favor or parting gift, or if a single sign will do. If individual tags are a must, then by all means go for it.
- Replace disposable vessels for tray-passed food. Connect with your rental company to see what reusable items they have to offer. See if your caterer can come up with a reusable or compostable vessel like a scallop shell for ceviche or seaweed for a raw bar.
- Say bye to paper coasters and napkins. Use a cloth, leather, or metal coaster instead of paper. Remember, footed glasses (coups, wine glasses) do not need a coaster.
- Resell or donate any unused product. If you do like the idea of things with an individual tag or cloth napkins, think about reselling any unused materials on Facebook Marketplace or donating them to a local Goodwill.
2. Use certified FSC paper for printing.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified means that the paper goods you are using have been harvested in a responsible manner. The FSC was founded in 1993 to ensure proper forest management. They are a not-for-profit, independent, non-government organization.
This one will take some special effort. You can reference the FSC list of certified printers, or ask your paper goods printer if they are FSC-certified or are able to obtain and use FSC-certified paper.
3. Hire a specialty break down service.
The Bend, Oregon-based Broomsmen will come in and not only take care of cleanup, but they will take your items to a special facility where they sort trash for recyclables, keeping an eye out for plastics that can be sanitized, melted down, and repurposed for things like keg caps.
4. Compost your flowers.
Florists Peartree Flowers saw that even after the flower arrangements were given away to an event’s guests, there was still a significant amount of floral waste left over. Garbage Goddess was born. Servicing New York City, the Hamptons, and the Hudson Valley, Garbage Goddess collects organic floral waste from events for composting. They will even have a conversation with your florist to recommend materials for a fully compostable floral program.
5. Find a restaurant or caterer that is Rethink certified.
Even if all of the leftover, prepared food from your wedding goes to a good home, there are still perfectly edible trimmings from food prep that get thrown away. This is a problem not just for events, but one that faces restaurants nationwide. Enter Rethink Food. Currently servicing restaurants in New York, Chicago, Nashville, and San Francisco, Rethink has found a way to safely gather whatever food does not get served to guests and bring it to their facility where they use it to prepare meals for the food insecure. Check the Rethink website for a growing list of restaurants and catering companies that are ReThink certified.
The impact a wedding has on the families and friends of the couple is wildly positive. So much goes into planning a perfectly organized, flawless day, why not add some thought to the environmental impact of your wedding as well. By starting with the end in mind and making a sustainability plan, the holistic impact will be a positive one as well.
