By:

Nadine |

June-uary has come to an end, and it’s finally safe to set up our backyards for entertaining. Fingers crossed that the sideways rain and windstorm are over! As we start a new summer BBQ season, we’d like to share some tips about hosting sustainable BBQs and backyard parties. From the menu to the decor, let’s keep it green!

Where’s your food coming from?

Are you going to serve potato salad, burgers, veggie skewers, or even steaks? Yummm, now we’re drooling just thinking about this tasty assortment of backyard fare. When deciding what will be on the menu, it’s best to factor in whether you can buy your food locally.

Choose produce that’s in season and buy local. Try buying what you can from local farm markets; it helps support local farmers and families.

There are lots of local farms and companies that offer pasture-raised protein options that you can buy direct. Try skipping the grocery store and see what you can get locally! By shopping local, you are cutting down emissions from your foods being shipped across provinces or even borders, you’re supporting local families, and you’re helping to boost our local economy. Win, win, win!

Managing the mess

Your guests probably all recycle at home; who wants to be friends with people who don’t recycle?! Lol. But, as a busy host, they may not want to bother you and ask you where your recycling is. A simple way to work around this issue and make your clean-up process MUCH easier is to set out labelled buckets or bins that tell your guests where to recycle their empties and other containers. You can have your Depozip pick-up scheduled for the next day, and that bag of unsorted empties will be whisked away with your return en route to your account.

This is a great project to get the kids involved! Ask the kids to make the signs and be “in charge” of the recycling program for the day. The signs will be adorable, and everyone will be more than happy to oblige when your little ones ask them to remember to recycle as the event goes on.

Be discerning with your decor

It can be tempting to run to the dollar store and stock up on a bunch of single-use decorations for your next party. We suggest that you pump the breaks on spending that money on decorations that will need to be thrown out anyway.

Instead, look around your house and see what you can reuse or make from the materials on hand. Again, this is a great time to get the little ones involved. Collect the candles, decor items, and similar and see how they can work outside. You probably have a pack of construction paper or printer paper, this is perfect for making signs, and it’ll keep your kids entertained for hours.

You can use empty milk jugs to create festive lighting in your yard. Simply cut away the back with a craft knife, then place it over a light or electric candle. For extra colour, use toxic-free markers to decorate the lamps. After the party, you can toss your milk containers into your Depozip order, and they’ll be processed the same as your other empties!

We hope that you found these green party tips helpful. Happy grilling! Be sure to contact us if you have any questions about our recycling services.