When living in parts of the world where the majority of the year is cold, one of the best parts of the summer months is entertaining outside. Since often paper and plastic dishes and utensils are used, this can also be some of the most wasteful ways to entertain. We have a few tips to make your next outdoor event (and all the ones you have after that!) more sustainable.

1. Reusable dishes and utensils: While you may not want to use your usual indoor set, there are a lot of possibilities with reusable plastic. Getting a set of dishes you can store away during the winter months will leave you less garbage bags full of waste at the end of the night. Another fun idea would be to gift your guests a sustainable set of utensils to  use and take home at the end of the meal to encourage sustainability everyday. 
2. Mason jars: You can get rid of the red solo cups that grace every BBQ by using mason jars in their place. The best part of this is that you don’t need to store them away for use only at events but you can also use them to store pantry goods and spices afterwards. Keeping a stock of different sizes will also help you stop reaching for those plastic sandwich bags in the kitchen.
3. Elegant straws: Glass straws are a great alternative to metal straws, and can be bought in packs to keep at home. Make sure you buy a pack that comes with a brush cleaner so they last you a long time! 
4. Buy in containers: There isn’t much that can be controlled with packaging but you can always make an effort to buy from the butcher direct and ask for your meat to be placed directly in reusable containers. 
5. Fabric tablecloths: Reusable Tablecloths can be bought with patterns to mimic the usual red plaid ones that bring the nostalgia of picnics, or you can go with a solid colour to go with the colour scheme. A sheet of plastic on top will also avoid any washing out of spills and can be used for various crafts indoors and out.