It’s back to school, and back to birthday parties for some households. If you’re doing the catering yourself, buying plastic cups and plates might seem inevitable.
The disposable kind makes for a quick clean-up, right? There’s no washing, you can just chuck everything in a bin liner and you’re done. This stuff is cheap too, isn’t it?
Sold in packs in the major supermarkets, disposable plates and cups work out at about 22c each, disposable forks are about 13c a piece and napkins are 11 cent each. You’ll get some plastic ‘Happy Birthday’ bunting for about €3.
Considering that children typically inhale birthday cake with neither cutlery nor a napkin, and glug a soft drink in less than 10 seconds flat, you’ve probably shelled out a minimum of 68 cents per guest on partyware that gets very little usage indeed.
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There’s the environmental impact of manufacturing and disposing of all those single-use items as well − that’s not much to celebrate.
Mayo County Council is offering party hosts an alternative.
Families and community groups can cut down on waste and cost by borrowing a party kit from Castlebar, Ballina, Achill and Belmullet libraries for a deposit of €30.
Each party kit contains 30 brightly coloured and hardwearing reusable cups, plates, bowls and cutlery sets, along with trays and jugs and it can all be borrowed for up to a week.
When the kit is returned complete, undamaged, washed, dried and on time, you get your €30 back and someone else can borrow it.
The kits also contain lovely handmade colourful bunting to help you decorate your event, without the need for plastic tatt. Mayo County Council really knows how to party.
It doesn’t have to be a kids’ birthday party either − you can borrow the kit for a barbecue, a picnic, or a sports club celebration too.
Mayo isn’t the only place you can borrow a party kit. The Party Kit Network, a nonprofit social enterprise that is passionate about making celebrations more sustainable, aims to reduce waste by increasing access to reusable tableware.
Its UK founder saw that some environmentally conscious people were already offering to share partyware in their communities. The Party Kit Network spread the practice, and now has 500 members who set up and run local party kits, including some in Ireland.
You can borrow a party kit from Foulksmills Tidy Towns, or from Party Kit Network members in places including Ballina/Killaloe in Co Clare, in Kilcock, in Maynooth, Kilnamanagh, Terenure, Dundrum, Dún Laoghaire, Donabate, Christ the King Girls School in Cabra and in west Cork too. You’ll find more locations on PartyKitNetwork.org.
So, while governments talk about reducing plastics and lobbyists lobby them not to, communities are taking action.
The individuals and groups loaning the party kits are helping to cut down on single-use waste, lower the carbon footprint of celebrations, and ensure materials are used to their fullest.
So next time you have to organise a party, borrow a party kit, or better still, become a Party Kit Network member yourself, hosting a kit your community can borrow. An event with less waste? That’s definitely something to celebrate.
