Plastic Free July Day 3

Happy 4th of July!  I wanted to do this post today because I know there are a lot of people who have outdoor parties and barbecues today, which often come with plastic utensils and dinnerware.

Refusing plastic dinnerware at parties and other people's houses (without being a jerk!)

• Be grateful you were invited, and enjoy the company of your friends and family!
• Bring your own reusable utensils, jar and plate.  That way, you do not need to dig through your host's cabinets to find a plate or a fork or a mug.
• If you are offered dinnerware from the host when the rest of the guests are using disposable items (maybe because your friend knows how much of a weirdo you are :), make sure you wash it and put it away when you are done.  Do not make more work for your host.
• Do not make your host feel bad about using disposable stuff.  It will not make them change, and will just make you look like an ungracious person. 
• If someone asks why you are using your own silverware, you can talk about it.  People are curious, and it opens up a good discussion!  But again, don't make people feel bad.

Pictured above is what I usually bring (minus the cactus, of course 🌵) when we are invited to a party that I know is going to be outside or catered or has a lot of people.  You can get the stainless steel plate and spork from Life Without Plastic.

Note: This post contains affiliate links to Life Without Plastic, a company whose mission and products I fully support.

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If you aren't familiar with Plastic Free July, take a look at this post.  Basically, it's a month-long challenge to reduce the amount of disposable plastic you use.  It's a great starting point if you just want to give cutting out disposable plastic a try.
 
My first Plastic Free July was in 2013(!), and this month I'd like to highlight some of the things I do to reduce my plastic use, and some struggles.  Many things are part of my routine at this point (buying in bulk, refusing plastic silverware, etc.), but I am not perfect, and I always find this challenge to be a good time to refocus and look at what trash I am actually producing.