Happy Plastic-Free July!

By Linh Dan Do

There’s a wealth of information out there on how to reduce both waste and plastics in your life, so today, we’re just going to focus on one small step we’ve taken in Menlo Park to create one more resource to help people reduce waste and plastic…zero-waste, plastic-free party packs!

Here in the Peninsula, there’s a number of cities and organizations that offer zero-waste party packs consisting of recycled and reusable plastic dinnerware that residents can borrow. Menlo Park did not have such a resource for its residents, so 350 Silicon Valley decided to provide this resource to help Menlo Park residents reduce the use of single-use disposable items at no cost to residents.

There are five zero-waste party packs, one in each of Menlo Park’s five districts hosted by a volunteer in each district. With the exception of the rolling storage cart and bus bin to collect dirty dishes, the party packs are plastic-free! The program is managed by 350 Silicon Valley and community volunteers and funded by the City of Menlo Park community grant funding program.

Zero-waste, plastic-free party pack: shatterproof ceramic plates, stainless steel cups and utensils, upcycled denim waste napkins

Zero-waste, plastic-free party pack - kids’ version: shatterproof ceramic plates and bowls, stainless steel cups and utensils, cotton napkins

Overall, the program has been a great success in building community and helping people reduce waste. From its start at the beginning of this year, the program has served up to almost 900 residents (and kept that many disposable dishware, cups, utensils, and napkins out of the landfill)! We have received positive feedback from borrowers, as well as interest from people in other cities who want to create something similar for their church or school groups, if something does not already exist in their city.

Sharing resources so that people don’t have to buy new things or throw away things - libraries of things, buy nothing groups, repair cafes, secondhand stores, borrowing things from a neighbor - has long been and continues to be a great way to build community and reduce waste, so Menlo Park’s zero-waste plastic-free party packs are in good company. 

Speaking of good company, if you are planning on hosting a get together and are interested in borrowing a local party pack, check out the links below:

Los Altos 

Menlo Park 

Palo Alto 

Redwood City 

Sunnyvale