Reducing Waste at a Kiwi BBQ or Summer Party

Nothing says a Kiwi summer like a backyard barbecue, a beach picnic, or a big get-together with friends and whānau. But those good times can leave behind an alarming pile of single-use plates, plastic cutlery, drink bottles and half-eaten food. The good news is that hosting a low-waste party doesn't mean being the fun police — with a bit of planning you can cut your rubbish dramatically and still have a relaxed, generous spread.

Start before anyone arrives, because the biggest wins come from what you buy. Shop with a plan and a rough headcount so you don't over-cater, and choose loose fruit and veges over pre-packaged trays. Buy drinks in larger recyclable bottles or cans rather than lots of tiny ones, and think about a chilly bin of refillable water instead of single-use plastic bottles. If you can, pick up snags, buns and salads from the deli or bakery in your own containers to dodge the extra packaging altogether.

When it comes to serving, reusable is king. Pull out your real plates, glasses and cutlery — a stack of mismatched op-shop crockery is perfect for big groups and washes up just fine. If you truly need disposables for a large crowd, look for paper plates and wooden cutlery you can put in a home or community compost, and steer clear of items labelled 'biodegradable' plastic, which usually can't be recycled or composted through kerbside systems. Set up a drinks station with named glasses or markers so people keep one cup all afternoon instead of grabbing a fresh one each round.

Make sorting easy by setting out clearly labelled bins before the guests turn up, because people will do the right thing if it's obvious. Have one container for food scraps, one for your yellow-bin recycling, and one for general rubbish. Rinse cans, glass bottles and clean plastic bottles before they go in the recycling — remember that greasy paper plates, chip packets and soft plastics don't belong in the yellow bin. Soft plastic wrap can go to a store drop-off through the soft plastics scheme in areas where it's available, so check whether that's an option near you.

Food waste is often the heaviest part of party rubbish, so tackle it head-on. Send leftovers home with guests in containers, freeze what you can, and pop fruit peels, salad ends and corn cobs into a food-scraps collection or home compost if you have one. If your council offers a green food-scraps bin, use it; otherwise a backyard compost or worm farm handles most vege trimmings well, though it's best to keep meat and bones out of home systems.

A little forethought turns a wasteful blowout into a genuinely sustainable celebration. Cater realistically, lean on reusables, label your bins, and deal with scraps and recycling on the day rather than shovelling everything into one black bag at the end. Your rubbish bin will be lighter, and rules for recycling and food collection do vary around the country, so check your local council's website if you're unsure what belongs where.