Waste water versus plastic? Catering crews used to love having all services using disposable serviceware, and it is usually much cheaper for the client because there is no equipment rental necessary (in most cases), and there is a lot of labor involved in washing dishes, cutlery, napkins, tablecloths, etc. I have never heard a third solution, but would love to hear one here. The argument was that dirtying water is as bad as throwing away catering serviceware.
I am going to be a little blunt here – BULLSHIT!
The water used to wash dishes goes through the same wastewater process as our drinking water, bath water, and groundwater systems. Where is the additional waste in that? The process of filling our landfills with mostly non-biodegradable products does not offset the excessive use of water to clean up an event. The food service staff have to work harder (and the staff number probably must be increased) to clean up after an event trying to be ecologically responsible. Obviously someone, either the client or the caterer, needs to cover that additional expense. Our events today should not have to be paid by our children, their children, or their children’s children. Yahoo has the most information pro and con I have found on the subject – just type in greener paper versus washing plates – there are many links to this subject.
I believe we can all make a difference by insisting our food vendors use non-disposable serviceware unless it is totally impractical. We do have a little control over how we affect our world – if possible, let’s utilize our buying power to help make things better. Sounds like baby steps, but if the majority of us changed to this mindset, we just might create giant strides!
Everything's Eventful 
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