How to Pull Off a One Bag Event

Ready for your next event or party to go ONE BAG?… That means a party that creates only one bag of trash for an entire event, from birthday party to holiday open house.With a little bit of smart planning, and some of my fun entertaining tips – Anyone can make their next party a “One Bag Event!” You’ll spend less, waste less, and send less to the landfill. And THAT is something to celebrate!! Keep reading to see how I’ve hosted not one – but THREE! – parties over the past couple of weeks, and was able to make each of them a One Bag Event…

Let’s Talk Trash!…

This is a little peek at our recent celebrations – We had a Pirate Pizza Party a couple weeks ago, to celebrate getting our outdoor space ready for summer. We took the cover off of the in-ground pool to start prepping it for opening, cleaned up the grill, and spruced up the patio area. Then we had a super fun Tacos and Floats night, and got a free pair of tickets to the new Ice Age movie when we bought the supplies. {So cool, right?} Then just a couple of days ago we invited a few friends over for a Hot Dog Bar – which is when I created my little Hot Diggity Dog in the last pic. During the summer we entertain non-stop, which I love. What I don’t love is how much trash piles up after a party. So, I decided to give the Glad One Bag Challenge a try, and see if the tips and ideas they shared could help me cut down on all that garbage. Keep reading to see how we did, and learn how you can do it too…

Learn How to Pull Off a One Bag Event

Honestly, I did not think we were going to be very successful with this challenge. I mean, we seem to always end up with a ton of trash after every BBQ. But, it wasn’t at all as difficult as I expected – it’s really just a set of small swaps you make that add up to a BIG decrease in what you have to toss at the end of the party. Here are the tips that worked best for us:

• Invitations: Instead of spending a bunch of extra money on those custom designed invitations you’re thinking about, use an online invite site like Evite.com, Ping.com or punchbowl.com. Or reach everyone where they’re already at – set up an event page on Facebook to give everyone all of the party details – including reminders leading up to the big day!
• Serving Dishes: Stock up on ‘real’ serving ware – either some fun melamine dishes like the French Bull 12-Piece Melamine Dinnerware Set, {have it, love it, use it all the time!} or choose compostable: sugar cane, fallen palm leaves, and corn are some of the most popular materials. For the past couple of parties I used these great compostable party plates, cups, and utensils – and I was blown away by how sturdy they are. Super cool green geniuses to come up with this stuff.
• Decorating: Ok, this is one of my favorite ways to creatively cut down on trash. Instead of buying a pile of decorations from the party store that you’re just going to throw away afterwards, think about what you already have that you can use to brighten the party atmosphere. A few ideas – Jars: You could spray paint them and fill with flowers, or use them to hold pre-mixed party cocktails. Food: Use the food itself as the decoration, which leads to almost no waste at all. Make a Watermelon Turtle for summer BBQs, or use chips, dips, and other snack foods to build a Snackadium during football season. You could have the kids color their favorite coloring book pages and hang them like a pennant banner, or just use pics of the birthday child to decorate at their party. Tons of fun ideas.
• During the Party: Make sure to set up an easy peasy spot to recycle – you could even use a Triple Laundry Sorter lined with Glad Bags {they now have less plastic, and more stretch – meaning you can stuff more into them and have less waste} to make it super simple for guests to toss their cans, glass bottles, and regular trash.

Now – Give yourself a big high five of congratulations! You just saved a ton of waste from clogging up your local landfills, did your part to leave our world a little greener and cleaner for your kids, and saved a ton of money too! Want to show off your success? Visit Glad on Facebook to tell them your story, and share a pic of your One Bag Clean Up! You can also get a ton of tools and tips on Glad.com too, to help you waste less at your next event!

Host a One Bag Event of Your Own!

Now that you know some great tips to cut down on party waste, and are going to visit the Glad.com site to learn more great ideas, you’re ready to host your own One Bag Event. If you do – I would LOVE to see your party pics too, so feel free anytime to stop by my Facebook page to share pics. I’d also love to hear your best “Green” party tips – Come join the conversation in my Smart Mom Chat room, and let me know what works best for your family parties. You guys are such smarties, I love hearing your ideas!

For more fun party ideas, see my collections of favorite Party Foods and Party Drinks on Pinterest!

{Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Glad and received a One Bag kit to facilitate my review, a kit to give away, and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.}