Recycling and your wedding
Filed under: Invitations, Receptions, Green Weddings
Weddings generate waste. Lots of it. From the invitations to all the little papers you stuff inside the invitations and the food and the bottles, cups, and plates, you could practically take over a landfill with wedding waste. It would be a very fancy landfill, but a very full one, nonetheless. You can eliminate some paper waste by doing away with paper invitations and going electronic, or if you're more traditional than that, using invitations made from recycled paper is a nice alternative. You can further reduce paper waste by encouraging telephone or email RSVPs and doing away with the RSVP card and envelope in your invitation. Whether you go for paper or electronic invitations, you can be environmentally responsible either way. And don't forget to use recycled paper for your programs, too.
But what about all the waste at your reception?
Think of all the materials that tend to get thrown away at weddings. By the end of the typical reception, trash cans are full to the brim with discarded plates, empty cups, and empty bottles of liquor or cans from the bar. So many of these materials can be recycled! Set up recycling receptacles next to all the trash cans, and if you're using disposable dishes, make sure they are recyclable plastic, like the stylish flute in the picture. Definitely be sure that your caterers and bartenders recycle all empty cans and bottles, too.
As for leftover decorations from your reception, Ilona had some great ideas for what to do with those, rather than tossing them. Take the leftover food home with you or donate what you can to local shelters, and by the end of the day, you've had a wedding with very little waste.
There's just one last thing -- thank you notes for all those gifts. Find a great selection of recycled paper thank you cards here.
Did I leave anything out? How are you reducing waste at your wedding?
As for leftover decorations from your reception, Ilona had some great ideas for what to do with those, rather than tossing them. Take the leftover food home with you or donate what you can to local shelters, and by the end of the day, you've had a wedding with very little waste.
There's just one last thing -- thank you notes for all those gifts. Find a great selection of recycled paper thank you cards here.
Did I leave anything out? How are you reducing waste at your wedding?
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