TikTok star and mum-of-two Chantel Mila shares her top hacks for reducing food waste

Hosting the perfect sustainable lunch or dinner party can be a real challenge. But when you get it right, it’s the ultimate celebration!

There is nothing better than getting together to enjoy each other’s company, as well as some delicious food. But what many may not consider just how much may end up going to waste.

Aussie TikTok mum, Chantel Mila shares her top sustainable hacks to try while entertaining,

1. Invite your guests to take leftovers

Leftover food is always a given when hosting a dinner party. As many tend to think it is better to have more food than not enough. However, sometimes we don’t anticipate just how much leftover food we’ll have at the end of the night – and most of the time, we end up throwing it in the bin!

When sending your guests their invitations, ask them to bring a food container along with them to the party. Invite them to take home leftovers so they can enjoy some of their favourites from your dinner party the next day and help reduce the amount of food that will end up in your bin. Plus, who doesn’t love another night off cooking?

However, if your guests do forget their container, another way to ensure they go home with some delicious leftovers, wrap their food with a more sustainable choice such as the Glad to be Green® 50% Plant-Based Cling Wrap or Reseal Bags.

2. Use 3 bins for easy clean up!

Party clean-ups can be tedious and time-consuming. Not knowing what waste goes where and how to ensure you are recycling the right items correctly can be overwhelming.

To ensure an easy after-party clean-up, provide three bins to guarantee the right waste is going into the right bin. At your dinner party, include:

1. A food scraps bin – for food waste that can be composted, line your bin with the Glad to be Green® Compostable Caddy Liners, as they are compostable and are diverted away from landfill.

2. A general waste bin – to quickly dispose of items that can’t be composted or recycled.

3. A recycling bin – for all items that can be recycled.

3. Keep your coffee grounds

Coffee is the perfect beverage to end a dinner party and a must-have, for some, after a meal.

Depending on the type of coffee you are serving, if it is grounded coffee, don’t throw away our used coffee grounds; they actually have a second lifespan for several different things, such as:

1. Used to fertilise plants

2. When placed in the fridge, they can absorb food odours

3. After being boiled on the stovetop, they can be used as a natural home fragrance.

4. Store your cheese and reuse

Cheeseboards are always a hit at dinner parties, but one thing that is common is having leftover cut pieces at the end of the night. Instead of throwing them away, wrap up any leftover cheese slices to keep fresh for the next day. You can also use those leftover pieces in a meal, whether that be a cheese toasty or topping for a pasta.