Greener Gatherings: Cutting Waste, Increasing Impact

Whether you’re hosting a 10-person lunch or a 1,000-person conference, your event can help reduce waste, conserve resources, and set an example across campus by engaging the community in Stanford’s commitment to sustainability. Follow these steps to reduce waste at your next event to help contribute to a wasteless community.

Before Your Event

1. Invite with Intent: Use electronic invitations to reduce paper use. Include a note that you are striving for a zero waste event. If appropriate, encourage people to bring their own (water bottles, utensils, etc.). Ask people to RSVP to help ensure the food order is appropriate – enough, but not too much excess! Pro tip: If ordering appetizers, plan for 6-8 pieces per person.
2. Create a Food Recovery Plan: California state law, Senate Bill 1383, requires all food generators on campus, including events, to donate excess edible food. Make a plan for leftovers to reduce food waste. Ask your caterer if they can donate excess food and/or if they can provide to-go containers for guests. Explore additional food recovery resources.
3. Catering Communications: Inform the caterer you want to reduce waste where possible to see what they can offer (e.g., water dispensers vs. individual water bottles). If reusables are not an option, ask the caterer to provide certified compostable foodware. Ensure the utensils are not bundled/packaged together (required by California state law, Assembly Bill 1276).
4. Rethink Purchasing: Order foodware, decorations, and give-aways that are either reusable, recyclable, or compostable. Invest in reusable nametags – dry erase nametags can be used over and over again and branded with your program’s name and logo. Communicate with vendors and caterers about offering reusable, recyclable, or compostable foodware, serving in bulk, and limiting packaging. Opt for table decorations that can be reused or repurposed. Creative idea: order flowers or vegetables from the O’Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm!
5. Evergreen Signage: When printing banners or signs for events, skip dates and other specific information that makes them good for only a single use.
6. Sustainable Transportation: Offer transit options for visitors traveling to your event. Review sustainable transportation options.
7. Plant-Forward: Prioritize a plant-forward menu with seasonal, local, and organic ingredients. Opt for buffet style to avoid unnecessary packaging. 
8. Order Event Bins: Stanford provides recycling, compost, and landfill bins for campus events for a fee. If you have only recyclable and compostable material at the event, then skip the landfill bin altogether! To order bins, submit a Customer Funded work request at least 3 days before your event. Review how to order event bins, view event bin rates, and contact PSSI for questions on ordering or to request a waste audit for your next event.

Event Setup

1. Perfect Placement: Placing recycling, compost, and landfill bins together (to provide equal access to all three streams) helps reduce waste and increase recycling and composting.
2. Signage for Zero Waste: To reduce confusion and increase proper waste sorting, add tabletop signs next to displayed service ware that inform guests on how to dispose of items.

During Your Event

1. Talking Trash: Make an announcement that it is a zero waste event, note the locations of the bins, and provide top sorting tips for items (e.g., all foodware is compostable).
2. Smart Serving: Avoid placing all the food out at once (this increases the likelihood it can be donated if there is excess) and encourage guests to take home leftovers.
3. Waste Watchers: Enlist students, staff, or interns to monitor bins during your event to guide proper waste sorting, keep bins tidy, and enhance the event experience.

After Your Event

1. Donate Excess Edible Food: Encourage guests to take home leftovers. Utilize Slack or other building communications to notify students and staff of any excess. Donate to a food recovery organization.
2. Collect nametag holders, drink containers, and reusable signage to be used at future events.
3. Reflect & Celebrate: Evaluate the event waste, what worked well, and note changes to make for next time (materials to avoid, products to use, etc.).

Additional Resources

• Sustainable Events Toolkit (SUNet Required)
• Stanford Event Resource Network (SERENE)