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One of the most ubiquitous scenes anyone will encounter at an Indian wedding is the rows of buffet containers containing a smorgasbord of food. It is not uncommon to see half-eaten plates and food and utensils mixed in one garbage bin after the catering service ends. According to Ashwin Malwade from Greenmyna, a sustainable curator of events, an average Indian wedding generates nearly 700-800kgs of food waste across two days.
We have handpicked five ways you can ensure a zero-waste event during your wedding functions.
You cannot plan for how much food will be served if you don’t have a head count of the number of people who will be attending or the type of dietary requirements they will have. Emphasise to your guests the importance of RSVP-ing to the wedding invite.
Hire caterers who have experience in serving zero-waste weddings. They will guide you on how they handle leftover waste whether that means donating the food to homelessness charities and soup kitchens, composting, or packing tiffins and lunchboxes for guests to take home. Bonus points if you can serve the meals in biodegradable, compostable or reusable utensils.
Malwade suggests liaising with your caterers to ensure that they use eco-friendly serveware and eliminate single-use plastic water bottles by replacing them with alternatives.
In addition to this, hire a waste management company if your caterers do not already have a system in place to deal with excess food. This would mean properly labelled bins for dry and wet waste to go into, among other measures.
The No Food Waste initiative in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu redistributes surplus food from large-scale events like weddings to nursing homes, orphanages and slums. They operate across cities such as Coimbatore, Chennai, Salem, Erode, Tadepalligudem and New Delhi. Find a local organisation in your wedding destination that works on food waste reduction like the Robin Hood Army and Feeding India.
Work with your caterers to plan a menu that uses ingredients which are in season. Out-of-season produce can come with quality issues and higher costs. Also consider a farm-to-table approach where locally-grown food is served up and cooked at the venue. Not only will this reduce food waste and respect the environment but also show your guests that in season wedding food can be delicious, too.
Children typically pile on a lot of food on their plate but tend to finish only half of it. Create a special section for kids to help your serving staff provide them with the right quantity, thereby ensuring minimal food is wasted.
