When it comes to living plastic-free, party supplies can be the last thing you might think about. But it’s so easy to shift to plastic-free options, why not put them on your list now?

You’ll save money in the long run by buying long-lasting reusable supplies once instead of throwaways over and over again. And you’ll throw away a lot less trash, too.(We’re updating this post for Plastic-Free July 2020.)

NOTE: Even though “compostable” paper plates and napkins are available, they usually can only be composted in an industrial facility – not in your home compost pile. If they are “recyclable,” check with your local recycling facility to see if they will accept them – many don’t.

Here are the 5 Plastic-Free Party Supplies I Have That You Don’t Want to Miss

Here’s a picture of the plastic-free party supplies I usually use.

1. Plates – I have several sizes of reusable plates: salad-sized dinnerware for buffets, and full-sized plates for potluck dinners. I have bought the salad-sized plates over time when they were on sale after the Christmas holidays.

The dinner-sized reusable plates are by Preserve. They’re made from 100% recycled #5 plastic. They’re dishwasher-friendly and if you ever decide you want to get rid of them, Preserve will take them back and recycle them. I have both the 10.5″ size and the 7″ size, which are perfect for dessert, fruit, or salad.

NOTE: I normally don’t recommend using recycled plastic, but because these last so long and you won’t be throwing them away, they’re a good alternative, especially for an outdoor picnic or party.

2. Napkins – I went to the local Dollar store and bought the festive 100% cotton bandanas pictured above. They’re big enough to cover a lap, colorful, and very easy to wash. I think I have around 50 of them at this point. They’re good for picnics, too.

3. Table cloths – If you like to have seasonal or holiday themed table cloths (like for birthday parties, Thanksgiving, or Christmas), you’ll find a wide variety of reusable cotton table cloths online, at thrift stores, on sale in department stores, and at local yard sales. At this point, I have reusable table cloths for the 4th of July, Halloween, general birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, plus table cloths I use for picnics.

4. Forks, Knives, Spoons – Plastic-free cutlery makes so much sense. The plastic stuff is usually so weak it breaks (I was at a party just today where the knives and forks weren’t strong enough and kept splintering.) You can get a 36-piece set of stainless steel flatware on Amazon that will last you 20 or 30 years. The set includes 12 each of a fork, knife and teaspoon.

5. Glasses/Cups/Tumblers – Of all the items listed here, glasses take up the most space. I have about 40 8 oz. glasses at this point, and I keep them in a couple of boxes that I stack and put in the back of a closet.

NOTE: You can get stackable stainless steel pint cups, with the advantage being both that they’re durable and they are unbreakable. But the smallest size they come in is 10 oz. I prefer to serve smaller drink portions, which is why I go with an 8 oz. glass. Figure out what’s right for you.

Preserve, the same company that makes reusable plastic plates, also makes reusable cups. They’re a bit big for me, but they might be perfect for you. Take a look.

I store all the table cloths, plates, napkins and cutlery in the cute duffle bag in the picture. Then I just tuck the bag out of the way in a closet, where it can easily be retrieved.

Get More “Green” Party Tips Right Here!

Where Can You Get Affordable Plastic-Free Party Supplies?

Speaking of Sales…

I buy many plastic-free party supplies on sale. All holiday-themed supplies will be 50 or 60 or 70% off the day after the holiday. Department stores like Macy’s, as well as the Big Box stores like Wal Mart and Target, are the place to look for post-holiday supply sales.

Borrow and Lend…

A Big Green Purse reader (and neighbor) wrote recently to say she’d accumulated enough reusable plates and glasses for a party for 40. She has let the neighborhood know that they’re available for anyone to borrow!

The post How Many Of These 5 Plastic-Free Party Supplies Are You Missing? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Why plastic-free straws? Because throwaway plastic straws suck – and I don’t just mean literally.

They can kill wildlife – like one almost did in the case of this poor sea turtle.

The darn things are made from petroleum – aka, OIL – and once they’re loose in the environment, they can last thousands of years.

Manufacturing plastic pollutes the air, emitting toxic emissions like benzene, toluene, xylene, and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that “affect the health of everyone within breathing distance,” says renowned plastic-free activist Beth Terry.

They can break into tiny pieces of micro plastic, then get ground into sea salt or get embedded in oysters and other seafood, so we end up eating plastic along with our dinner.

PLUS, they’re designed to be trash. Use them once, and throw them away. What a waste!

I’ve updated this post to include new information and new straws. Read on!!

You Don’t Have To Give Up All Straws – Just Plastic Ones

No doubt about it: sometimes, straws come in handy. It’s hard to drink a root beer float (my personal summer guilty pleasure) without a straw. Some people have sensitive teeth and find it easier to drink a cold beverage if they use a straw. And it can be easier for little kids especially to sip a drink using some kind of straw.

So the point isn’t to give up straws per se – just the plastic ones (I’m not big on throwaway paper straws, either).

You know how you take your own reusable shopping bags to the store, and drink from your own reusable water bottles? Now, there are reusable straws you can make your own, too.

Here are 10 Plastic-Free straws that will help you kick your plastic straw habit.

10 Plastic-Free Straws That Will Make It Easy to Kick Your Plastic Straw Habit

NOTE: I don’t recommend switching to paper straws because paper straws can only be used once. Even though they’re not the pollution problem plastic is, they do just add to the trash we throw away.

Stainless Steel Straws – Highly durable. Easy to pack. Angled or straight, depending on how you like to sip. Rounded and smooth, so very pleasant and comfortable to stip. Buy them in a two-pack or in a set to accommodate the whole family or a group.

Stainless Steel Straw & Brush Set The straws can be washed in the dishwasher, but the straw brush makes it easy to thoroughly clean the inside of the straw.

Stainless Steel 2 Pack One is good, two are better!

Mini Stainless Steel Straws – 4 pack These are idea for kids cups or tumblers, cocktail glasses and small glasses of water or juice.

8 Pack in a Pouch – Want some regular width and some wide? Get four of each, plus cleaning brushes and a pouch to carry them all in. (Note: This is an Amazon product, not EarthHero.)

Silicone – Straws made from premium food-grade, FDA approved silicone. They’re durable, flexible, reusable, washable and easy to travel with.

Set of 12 Silicone and Stainless Steel Drinking Straws with Cleaning Brushes

Glass Straws – Help eliminate the millions of plastic straws Americans throw away every day with this heavy duty and dishwasher safe plastic-free straw.

Wide Glass Smoothie Straw: This size straw is perfect for thick smoothies, milkshakes, Slurpees, and pureed cold soups.

Regular-width Glass Straw: This straw is similar in size to the straw normally served with a glass of water or soda in a restaurant or fast-food place. It comes with a travel pouch and a cleaning brush.

Bamboo – Bamboo straws are reusable to a point. They will eventually splinter and wear out, so they’re probably not the best option for kids. On the positive side, they are made from the bamboo plant and can be composted with other organic material, as long as they haven’t been chemically treated.

EarthHero sells a pack of 12 organic bamboo straws that can be reused many times, then composted.

Skip the Straw – Use a Sippy Cup

Sippy cups are the perfect plastic-free straw option for toddlers and younger children. Take a look at this bundle of four 8 oz. stainless steel toddler cups, along with four colorful silicone spill proof sippy lids. They work well at home or in the car. At a restaurant, ask your server to put your child’s drink in their own cup rather than in a cup with a straw.

Eat the Straw!

A company called Loliware is in the process of developing “the worlds first edible hyper-compostable drinking straw.” In other words, a straw you can eat. It’s made of seaweed, can be flavored, and is non GMO. It’s not on the market quite yet, but the company has gotten Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban’s buy-in, so look for it in a drink coming to you soon.

The post Finally, 10 Plastic-Free Straws That Don’t Suck! appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Of the many important reasons why you should give up plastic straws, should wrinkles be one of them?

According to skin care expert, Renée Rouleau, if you want to avoid getting wrinkles around your mouth, you need to skip plastic straws (and other straws, too).

Evidently, the sipping action breaks down the skin’s collagen and elasticity. The result? Wrinkly “smoker’s lines” around your lips. Yuck.

Even without anti-aging mania, I’ve been on something of a personal rampage against plastic straws.

What a Waste!

One thing that bugs me about plastic straws is how wasteful they are. Whether I’m sitting in a four-star restaurant, a diner or a dive, my glass of water usually comes served with a straw. My martini doesn’t come with a straw. No one would think of handing me a straw with my beer. But water? Or soda? The server doesn’t even ask.

This boiled to a head for me a couple of weeks ago. I was in a snazzy new eatery in snazzy Bethesda, MD and ordered an appetizer and a drink. The server showed up with glasses of water that already had straws in them. I was annoyed. I guess I should have immediately said “No straw, please,” when I ordered, but I forgot.

So there it sat in my glass, a stupid plastic straw.

Shortly thereafter, the owner of the restaurant dropped by my table to say hello and ask how we liked his place.

Before anyone could say anything, I said, “So far, not so good. Why are you serving drinking straws? Do you know what chemicals are in plastic? And that it’s going to take 10,000 years for this one straw to break down? And how much micro-pollution is in the ocean? And…and…”

Yes, I was ranting. But I made my point that the menu brags about how sustainable the food is, but if he really wanted to run an environmentally responsible establishment, he needed to stop automatically handing out straws.

On the spot, he promised to do so.

I sure wish it was that easy to eradicate straws globally. Ecocycle reports that 500 million straws are used in the U.S. daily.

That’s enough to fill over 127 school buses each day, more than 46,400 buses every year. If we don’t stop using plastic straws, Ecocycle projects that every American will use approximately 38,000 or more straws between the ages of 5 and 65.

Mind boggling!

Even when you think a straw is being thrown “away,” there are good chances the straw will end up as roadside litter or disintegrate into tiny pieces called microplastic.

This microplastic eventuallys find its way into our rivers, lakes, seas and bodies.

In fact, microplastic pollution is becoming one of the most insidious forms of ocean contamination we’re trying to eradicate.

Don’t Miss: Fish Don’t Want to Eat Your Plastic Microbeads Facewash 

Plastic straws harm wildlife, too. Look at this video of a poor sea turtle with a straw stuck up its nose. Terrible!

Manufacturing plastic also pollutes the air. Notes plastic-free activist Beth Terry, most plastic is made from fossil fuels like oil and natural gas.

The toxic emissions from using these fuels can include benzene, toluene, xylene, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds that “affect the health of everyone within breathing distance.”

How to Avoid Plastic Straws in Restaurants and When You Buy Fast Food

Plastic straws are useless to me and to most people. I never use straws at home, so avoiding them when I’m out is the key for me to stop using them completely. How?

⇒Tell servers in restaurants to skip the straw as soon as they offer to bring your water.

⇒Make it a habit to encourage any restaurant you patronize to ask their customers if they want a straw before automatically bringing one.

⇒The same goes for fast food. When you get a shake or soda to go, order without the straw.

If You Want a Straw, or Need One For Your Child, What Plastic-Free Options Do You Have?

If you have kids who will spill their drinks unless they use straws, you still have a couple of options.

One, take your own stainless steel straws for them to use (see below).

Two, take sippy cups with you to a restaurant and ask their drinks to be served in your cups.

Here are some eco-friendly alternatives to plastic straws.

The best is a reusable straw. You can get them in glass, stainless steel, and even bamboo. I’m partial to stainless steel.

Stainless Steel Drinking Straws – These straws fit in a tall glass or in a reusable tumbler. They won’t break, and they come with thin bristle brushes so it’s easy to keep them clean.

Stainless Steel Smoothie Straws – These are wider straws for smoothies and shakes.

Stainless Steel Sippy Cups – These cups come with or without their own straws.

LifeWithoutPlastic.com sells straws made from bamboo, glass, and stainless steel that come with their own convenient carrying cases so you can keep them in your purse, backpack, or brief case without worrying they’ll break.

Pledge to Stop Using Throwaway Plastic Straws

It’s probably too late for me to worry about wrinkles, but at least I can take the No Straw Please Pledge organized by the Plastic Pollution Coalition and the Last Plastic Straw campaign. You can join me here.

NOTE: This article originally appeared at MomsCleanAirForce.org, a terrific activist organization one million moms strong. Please check them out!

The post Why I Ditched Plastic Straws and You Should Too! appeared first on Big Green Purse.