August 2016 – Alegre's Blog

Save $$ and the planet by going waste free for all your parties and picnics. Because a lot of our entertaining is done outside by a pool, all of the materials I’m going to suggest here are BPA-free plastic (so they don’t have the harmful chemical BPA in them which many plastics do.)These materials are also nice because they are very lightweight, so it makes it easy to transport them for picnics, etc.

As a side-note, when I entertain INDOORS, and for our everyday eating and drinking, we always use glass and ceramic because I prefer not to have food on plastic, even BPA-free plastic, for the majority of my dining because I just think it’s a good idea.

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Tip #1: Set-up a recycle/waste/dirty dishes area that is clear trash ly marked.

This is what our recycle/waste/dirty dishes area looks like and it works really well. We placed a pop-up leaf collector on the left for recycle, had a trash can for waste and then a random plastic storage container for dirty utensils/dishes to land until we washed them. A lid on the waste and dirty dishes bucket helps keep the flies at bay.

We have the sign, pictured below, taped to the top of the trash can. It is a helpful reminder for people that the utensils are not disposable, and reminds people that aluminum cans can be recycled.

trashsign

Tip #2: Serve drinks such as WATER, lemonade and ice-tea using a drink dispenser

I have 2-of these beverage dispensers and they are fantastic. Because they hold almost 3-gallons of liquid, I never have to refill it for parties of less than 30-people. I use one for water and the second I usually fill with lemonade or ice-tea, although I’ve also served sangria in it. Because it is double-wall insulated, it keeps your beverages cooler with less ice, and there is a removable cone that you can use for ice if you don’t want your beverage to become diluted. This is also made out of a BPA-free material, so it’s a safer plastic for drink storage.

Buddeez Double-Wall Insulated Beverage Dispenser with Removable Ice-Cone BPA-free http://amzn.to/2aYSsel

Tip #3: Use reusable plates, cups and utensils

NOT ONLY are disposable plates and utensils a WASTE, they are so FLIMSY that frequently they make eating difficult! These thick, reusable plastic items are DURABLE, colorful and lightweight making them easy to use. I’ve included a few options below.

36-piece set with utensils BPA-free Reusable plastic plates, cups, bowls and utensils $15.35. These items are listed as “kid-size” but they are a good size for adult hands. I would say they are only 25% smaller than adult size items and are not awkward at all. I’ve used all these items personally and seen many adults use them without thinking twice because they are kid-size NOT baby-size.
http://amzn.to/2aJroiH

18-Piece Resuable BPA-free plastic cups, bowl and plate set $12.99. Although it says it’s a “kid-set” the size is fine for adults too!

http://amzn.to/2b5Yuup

If you want larger “adult” size items check out these other BPA-free options. The only adult-sized item that I really like is with a PLATE, because it’s easier to get longer items onto it. However, for everything else I actually prefer the “kid-size” items above.

10-inch Plates $7.99 for 6: http://amzn.to/2aEOKFR
Bowls $10.99 for 6: http://amzn.to/2aEMZsr
Tumblers $8.99 for 6: http://amzn.to/2aJsQS6
Plates and Goblets $11 for 6: http://amzn.to/2aDGvqd