I work at home. I had already been working at home for a couple of years before I started trying to seriously reduce my plastic consumption. I had forgotten all about office parties until last night when we were invited to a party at the school where our kids are learning French.
If I was writing a details oriented blog like FakePlasticFish, I would have compiled a list of the plastic items that I personally used at the party. I chose instead to push aside my principles and try to enjoy myself. After a good night’s sleep, I have a few things to say about plastic and parties.
If your office has semi-regular gatherings, then reusable plates, glasses and cutlery might save money in the long run. For purposes of comparison, I took a look at Walmart (shudder). Ten reusable (still plastic) plates cost about seven dollars while twenty-five disposable plates cost about six bucks. Once the reusable plates have been washed twice, you start saving money. If you are trying hard to impress somebody, consider renting dinnerware. I saw a price of sixty cents per piece on the first site that I checked.
My other suggestion is to forgo those noisemakers that you blow on. Nobody is likely to miss them.