How to Host a Wasteless Office Holiday Potluck

It's the middle of November. That means it's the time of the year for office holiday parties - and many of them will be potlucks.

With that, the inevitable waste will follow: paper cups, plastic utensils, disposable dollar store decorations, store-bought food in disposable plastic packaging, leftover Timbits, and more...

But with a bit of planning and these handy tips, your office party can be different!

• TIP 1: Ask someone to bring in cloth napkins, dishes, or cutlery from home.
  It's good for the environment, and someone will be happy to do that instead of cooking.

• TIP 2: Ask someone to bring holiday decorations from home.
  Avoid buying last minute decorations from the dollar store. Decorations borrowed from home will be much more beautiful, and nothing will be wasted!

• TIP 3: Ask someone to make punch in a large bowl.
  Avoid individual juice boxes or cans of pop. Iced tea or hot chai are other good options that can be made in large quantities, and served in carafes or pitchers, without creating waste.   

• TIP 4: Allow everyone to opt out of cooking for a small fee ($10).
  The person in charge can buy extra food if necessary. If there's money left over, it can be donated to a charity. Most of the time, there is too much food anyways!

• TIP 5: Ban store-bought contributions.
  Between Tips 1-4 and cooking something, everyone should be able to find a way to contribute without creating waste.

Do you have other tips for creating less waste at holiday parties? Share them in the comments!