Even though I don’t go on nearly enough of them (totally my own fault), I love a picnic in the summer. I love the relaxed pace of eating outside, and I don’t even mind that I’m usually the one packing the food.The great thing about that is I can make sure we have a zero-waste picnic!
How Do We Get from Wasteful to Zero-Waste?
One problem with picnics in general is that there is often a lot of waste created by the use of convenience items like single-use plates, eating utensils, napkins, and the like. I truly believe that it IS a problem of convenience, one caused by how accustomed we’ve all become to reaching for easy-to-deal-with items that can be disposed of once we’ve used them.
But it doesn’t have to be like this.
This post is all about ideas for how to enjoy picnics without generating a lot of waste. The title says zero-waste, but only because we’re focusing on the picnic itself rather than on the food preparations, which often generate waste as well. Put another way around, this post focuses on not putting things into a trash bin at the end of your picnic. Combatting food waste in preparation is a topic for a different post.
But what if something, such as a food container or paper napkin, can be composted or recycled? Does that count as waste? Consider the production process of those items, which does create waste as does the process to recycle it or compost it via municipal organics collection. We’re aiming for zero-waste, and I believe that reusables are still our best bet. Remember that the most sustainable thing is the thing that already exists. Just keep reusing it!
There are really three main ideas to keep in mind as you prepare for your zero-waste picnic: go simple, choose reusables, and be prepared for cleanup. Let’s go through them one at a time:
Go Simple
One way to think about this to make your menu appropriate to how you’ll get to your picnic location. You’ll want to make sure that your food gets to the picnic spot without spills, leaks, or being squished. Your mode of transportation matters here, so consider how far you’re going and how you’ll get there. In other words, lighter is better if you’ll be walking or hiking in and out. Choose reusable snack bags, beeswax wraps, or lightweight metal containers instead. Plastic food packing containers that you’ve cleaned up to use again are also helpful here – think yogurt tubs and other containers with relatively tight-fitting lids.
Sometimes picnics involve packages of food like chip bags, juice boxes, and the like. Those packages will, of course, need to be dealt with appropriately during your preparations. We’re going for zero-waste here, so fill containers of treats at the bulk store, make popcorn to take with you, and consider taking beverages that do not come in single-use containers.
Choose Reusables
You’ll need to find a way to provide reusable dishes, utensils, and napkins for people to use, if necessary. Maybe handhelds and finger foods are your foods of choice. If so, no utensils needed! If you’re planning a multi-dish, family-style picnic, you’ll need larger containers to get the food there. Those same large containers can be used to transport leftovers and, potentially, to hold the dishes, utensils, and napkins/cloths to be cleaned. The table cloth and/or ground cloth that you’ll sit on to eat can be reusable and washable as well.
Need some washable reusable cloth napkins, like the ones in the photo above? Something Different Upcycled has some great ones in the shop! Click here to go straight there.
You can use stuff that you normally would to take your lunch to work or school (your zero-waste lunch kit). Or you could use your everyday dishes and containers if they are durable and appropriate to how you’ll get to your picnic location. You could also borrow a picnic set or try to find or build one second-hand. Look for durable items, but ultimately choose what works best for you and your picnic needs.
Consider asking the people who will join you to eat to bring their own things to eat on and with. Reusable cups and water bottles too!
Be Prepared For Clean-Up
Once you’ve enjoyed your meal, packing up is as simple as unpacking….but in reverse, of course! If you know that you’ll have some messy, saucy dishes or containers, close them up or put them into a sealable, cleanable container until you get home. Leave your house with an empty dishwasher (if you have one) so you can put everything straight into it when you get home.
Some things, like cloth napkins, table cloths, and other items will need a washing machine. If you don’t have a washing machine at home, find a bucket or other container to hold them until you can get them to your laundry facilities. Stain treat BEFORE you do that, if there are stains that you want to get rid of. For those with laundry facilities at home, toss it all in as soon as you get home (after stain treating as necessary) and you’re pretty much done.
Click here for some suggestions about laundering your reusable fabric items.
So, in short, the answer to all three questions is, as it so often is, reusables. It takes a bit more cleaning afterward, admittedly, but it all comes back to convenience and building new habits again, right? You can do it!
What are your best tips for zero-waste picnics? What’s your favourite picnic food? Let me know in the comments! Mine is a good quality, slightly decadent, sandwich. Or cheese and crackers with fruit. I think I need to plan another picnic for sometime soon!