If you really are having more people than plates, why not rent real dishes? Disposables are expensive. I don't mind paper napkins, but the other stuff is just throwing money in the trash.

I still can't get over how much people pay for PAPER PLATES! If you are really trying to be more green, buy some plain white plates - they are very cheap. I only use paper plates around the holidays and just pick up a pack of extra strength ones like 40 for less than $10.

If you're hosting a barbecue or a picnic, disposable is the way to go if only because you're not really in the position to collect the plates and wash them. If you're having a dinner party, please use real plates!

I don't think it's an issue of bad hosting.

Here's bad hosting (real story): my friends and I were invited over to the host's home for a spaghetti dinner before we all went to see community theater production. We arrived 90 minutes before curtain time, leaving us about an hour to eat and head out. Not only did the host not have dinner prepared, he made himself a snack and munched on it while we all patiently waited for him to get the pasta going. A guest finally went into the kitchen and made dinner for us. The host was deeply offended and ended the friendship with the guest.

It's incumbent on the host to make the most of what s/he has to share, and guests should graciously accept what's provided. If all you've got are paper napkins and toothpicks, then serve olives and cubed fruit & cheese.

Eco-friendly is a bit of a misnomer, isn't it? Aren't bio-degradables or recycled materials merely less bad? Either way, for a large gathering, I tend to use attractive disposables. I find a balance by choosing disposables that can be washed and re-used. For example, there are high-quality utensils marketed as "dispoable" that are good as new after a turn through the dishwasher. What's the point, you might ask. Well, clean up is easier because I do throw some away. And I don't worry about what might get lost or broken.

I also like to serve finger foods for parties -- it's hard to eat bruschetta with a fork!

Whether it's bad hosting or not depends on the formality of the event, I think........and the expectations of your guests. If it's a more formal but small dinner party, I'd do actual dishes. If it's a kegger or barbeque with many guests, paper plates. Assuming that you're not hob-knobbing with the creme de la creme of society, I'm sure no one will care.

If someone used disposable goods for a summer BBQ, kids party, or casual outdoor wedding I would not think twice about it. Eating off paper plates during a quaint dinner party is a different story. I think it really depends on the situation.

How about this:
Go to your local thrift store and buy all the plates and silverware you need. When you're done with the party, clean them, and donate them back to the goodwill or another non-profit. It's cheaper than renting, and way more eco-friendly than buying any new products (regardless of the fact that they are made of locally-grown compostible recycled bamboo or whatever). Plus your money goes to a local small business or non-profit. You would, however, probably not have a Martha Stewart matching set.

I may be biased because I work for a party rental company. The cost for renting china and flatware can be very comparable to purchasing disposables.
Regulations require the rental company to wash and sanitize all of the items upon return so most will only ask you to scrape or rinse the plate before placing them back in crates.
No dish washing, no purchasing or storing of unnecessary dishes and no wasteful or tacky disposables!

I just hosted a housewarming party for about 40 people. I don't have 40 plates, nor do I have a place to store them! So, I bought recycled paper Chinet paper plates that are compostable and will end up in my garden next year. I do have a large set of brightly colored plastic silverware that is reusable. the bright color helps me fish them out of the trash as someone always thinks they're disposable. I have plenty of inexpensive wine glasses, so that's no problem. To serve beer I used Solo 'Bare' recycled clear #2 plastic cups. I hand wash them and reuse them as many times as possible and then recycle them. Paper napkins also recycled paper go into the compost bin too.

While compostable knives, forks and cups sound great, I don't think the average backyard compost generates enough heat to break them down. You need an industrial composting facility for that. So unless you have access to one, I don't think these items are very green.

I try to use real dishes whenever possible, even though we entertain often and don't have a dishwasher. However, I do think there are times, such as a BBQ or picnic in the park, when disposables are very tempting.

Renting dishes for a more formal party or asking guests to bring their own to a large (but casual) get-together could work. If you entertain a lot, you might also ask a few of the guests beforehand if they'd mind lending a hand with the dishes.

I figure that if I am nice enough to host a party and feed these greedy folks, they should be content enough to just eat my food on whatever I serve it on. If they have a problem with that they can get out ma'damn house and head over to Burger King or any other establishment they think is deemed worthy for them to munch on.

I'm hosting and inviting because I care enough about them to have them in the most sacred place I have, MY HOME. It's not about the drinkware, flatware or servingware....it's about our relationship.

Dinner party, real dinnerware.

Casual party-get together, disposable is fine with me.

Using "disposable" plates, for anything other than a picnic, because you don't like the clean-up is pretty lazy. Why not jusy ask someone to help you clean-up after dinner?

It was this very blog which reported that 90 plus percent of "green" claims were false. Many companies who claim to make biodegradeable material are lying, and they get away with it because the FTC has not imposed their guidelines yet.

I hate washing dishes too; but even biodegradeable materials are only used once and take a lot of water to grow those crops. Invest in a good dishwasher and it will take lots of the painfulness away from doing dishes.

We all need to get rid of single-use items, biodegradeable or not.

The comments that suggest buying or renting dinnerware don't address the underlying point of the post: After slaving away to clean the house, shop for and cook the meal, serve it and be nice to all the yahoos who ask where the ketchup is, who wants to clean up? I certainly understand Anna's POV and sympathize. So here are a couple of ideas:

First, when someone asks what they can bring and you don't need them to bring something, ask if they'll help with the clean up. Lots of us sincerely want to help -- we're just waiting to be asked.

Second, at the event, when someone offers to help, say, YES! Don't be like my DMIL who can't stand to have anyone wash her dishes. They're dishes for corn's sake. Clear the table and have the helpers stack the clean dishes on the table if you're afraid to let them put your stuff away.

Third, plan ahead. Clean pots, pans and prep gear as you go -- or designate a helper to do this. Why do you have teenage children (or friends, or nieces and nephews)? Designate a sous-chef for the day.

Fourth, think about what you really need to put out on the table: Chargers? Fuggedaboudit! Water glasses and wine glasses for each guest? How about the same glass for everyone from which they may drink their choice of beverages. Silverware galore? Hmm, if there's no soup, why the soup spoon? Will people really use a teaspoon? And for heaven's sake don't put stuff people bring into your own serving dishes -- have them bring their yam souffle surprise in a presentable casserole and serve from that. When you bid them adieu, don't feel shy about covering the leftovers in the dish they came in, and sending them home with the donee.

Fifth, ASK FOR HELP. No need to be passive aggressive. If you wand and need help, ask for it! Be specific. "John, will you take out these two bags of trash?" "Mary, can you please had wash the glasses?" For a number of years my arrangement with my sister was that she and her family came to me for Thanksgiving, and she cleaned up.

Hope you find these notions helpful.

I think it's very easy to miss the point of the reason for having guests over to enjoy a meal. I am sure the company and the food is the whole point. I don't like stressing over things like that. I am sure nobody minds being served on disposable...let's not forget about the whole purpose of the gathering....to share, to enjoy, to catch up and make contact. Anyone that would care about matching china as opposed to using disposable probably would not be at my house. Ambiance, fresh flowers, chilled wine.....and the people you want to share your time with are more important. Just sayin!

Have we not learned anything, do we still need to be wasteful? If you don't have enough plates ask a friend to bring some of their serving things over. Or go to a thrift store and buy the things you need and take them back to a thrift store when done. Or rent as mentioned.

It takes an hour to wash and clean up after a party.

I think its extremely wasteful to use disposables, even the 'green' ones... a lot of energy is used to grow/manufacture the materials for them as well the the actual manufacture of the items. It certainly takes a lot more energy that that hour or so of washing dishes, even if you don't have a dishwasher. So roll up your sleeves and quit being lazy.

That being said, I could see using the small ones when throwing a large party where no one sits down and the food is simply a buffet of finger foods. But if people will actually be sitting around a table eating together, then it is tacky. It doesn't need to be 'matching china' as one poster remarked... throw an eclectic mix together and call it a night.

We have a friend who throws an annual holiday party for about 20-30 people, and she only has a tiny NYC kitchen. She hires someone (I'm not sure if she uses a temp service or word of mouth) to handle the kitchen prep work for getting food out at appropriate times, and washing dishes as they come in. By the end of the party, the kitchen has already been completely taken care of!

Aside from main point about clean up..... I LOVE the idea of buying dishes at a thrift store and then returning them from whence the came. .... or if you have the storage space, store them in a party-box in the garage! Wonderful idea. (I currently have a party box with plastic cups, napkins, paper plates, etc, for unexpected gatherings). I'm going to start scouting for service at garage sales and thrift stores. thanks for the tip.

Also, those prices should drive people away from the idea of using disposables...

4 settings for $19? $8.56 per place setting? Seriously? Waste of resources AND a waste of money.

Go to Target/Walmart/Ikea/Bed Bath & Beyond/a restaurant supply store and buy a few boxes of plain white plates.
Or get an eclectic mix form the thrift store and have fun with it.
I keep a bunch of the pretty plastic plates that Target sells on hand for pot lucks and get togethers... not something I'd want to use every day but they were cheap and fun and I could buy a bunch of them. it doesn't take that long to wash (even with out a dishwasher) especially if you are willing to accept peoples offers to help (theres always at least one friend at any gathering who will volunteer)

At these prices, you could buy Wedgwood Edme on Ebay. The bread or salad plates can be had for a dollar or two. Get a pile of them, and then just wash them once a year for parties. If you get all the same size, it will make for easy washing and storing.

Okay, I cannot imagine asking anyone to bring their own place setting to a party.

Why not hire one or two people to help out for an hour or so towards the end of the party with cleanup?

Or you could just plan to meet up with your friends at a restaurant and avoid the inevitable clean up that is required after throwing a dinner party.

If you know anyone in the service industry ask if you can borrow some stuff for an evening.

My husband is the restaurant business so I've been lucky in that I can borrow, extra chairs, tables, glasses, serving dishes, linens, extra large pots, etc...which comes in handy around the holidays, he is 1 of 9 siblings!

A dinner party is more about good friends, good conversation and good food. I've been to a few parties where the host has used disposable stuff. I notice, but it certainly doesn't ruin the party.

And if you're more relaxed and able to enjoy/engage your guests then I'd say it's worth it in the end to use disposables.

Personally, aside from kids parties I don't use disposable. But I also don't get stressed about the cleaning up.

I'm way too cheap to use disposable plates, but if you invite me to your house, I'll gratefully eat from anything you put in front of me.

I don't mind cleaning up, but if you do, I see no problem with disposable plates.

I like the plastic/melamine plates you can get at target. It's like 6 for $4 or something. They stack nicely, come in fun colors, and wont break. The thing I like most about them is that they are light weight, which a lot of people don't think about when it comes to doing dishes. Since they are thin, they take up hardly any space, but they are still very sturdy.

And one last thing- they always say the party is in the kitchen...why not just wash half the dishes while chatting and the other half the next morning?

While the sustainability and green concerns are good, the "bad hosting" headline is mistaken. If someone is going through the trouble of putting together an entire meal or event for a group of people -- essentially providing a gift -- looking down on paper plates and disposable silverware because they aren't special enough means an ungracious guest, not a bad host.

this is more casual but its all recycled #5 plastics & dishwasher safe too.

Are you kidding me?! Single use wood flatware for $5 per setting? Ok, looking at the IKEA site for six settings of dinnerware ($14.99), flatware ($7.99) and glassware ($4.99) you still only come out to $4.66/setting (+tax) and it's an entire kit and reusable.

This has been on my mind with Thanksgiving looming and more people coming everyday but seriously?

yes

I think everyone's point is simply that the disposable options presented are simply too costly for single use. As many have pointed out real dinnerware is less expensive than any of the options presented.

I think, although the big headache mentioned in the post is true, cleanup is a hassle, but compared to the money one would have to spend on the suggested alternative, cleaning one's dishes is manageable.

I often feel like AT is way out of touch at times anymore. Not everyone has an unlimited source of funds, (in fact very, very, very few do), and though some of the DIY ideas presented are great, a lot of them are just quick fix paint jobs. I don't know how much longer I'm going to keep following.

I totally agree w/ Kristaparis, and TMV. If you spend the whole time cooking and cleaning up after everyone, you've missed the whole point of having everyone over - to enjoy their company.

I see nothing wrong w/ using some attractive paper plates (although I'd definitely stay away from plastic and especially styrofoam for obvious reasons). Also, I'd use real silverware, cause sometimes plastic just doesn't "cut it" (pun intended).

Like someone said before,

my house, my food. You should be pleased that I invited you over, not critical of what I serve the food on.

hmm...is anyone really advocating that we act rudely when our hosts serve us with paper plates and plastic dinnerware? It seems that most people are saying that *as hosts* they feel they themselves should be (would be?) making a more responsible decision than using the suggested disposable dinnerware. I can't say I disagree. Maybe these options are better than non-sustainably produced disposables but I'm having trouble believing they're more green than using your real reusable stuff. I mean, it just can't be, right?

Anyway, ghunt and some others have a great idea going in the purchase cheap stuff from goodwill and then give it all back. It's cheap (which is one of the pluses of disposables, though maybe not those above) and it's truly green in that providing yourself with more dinnerware has not caused more resources to be used up. Plus, you can return it so someone else can be green and you can get a tax credit (which, I know, won't equal the purchase, but it's something and they were cheap anyway).

Also, all the people who are suggesting letting guests clean up are right on. What's wrong with at least letting a good friend sneak in the kitchen with you while everyone else is still chatting and finishing the last round. Not only do you get help with clean up, it's a great time to discuss all the other guests. ;)

As a guest.....thank you for inviting me and the food was delicious....I don't really care about the plates that much.

As a HOST, however, there's no way I'm going to put together a great meal and then slop it onto paper plates like some fast food diner.

My guest list keeps growing so I'm renting extra plates and all of the flatware so it matches. And I'll probably rent extra wine glasses too. It's not that expensive and it's way more eco friendly than disposable plates and plastic silverware.

This idea might work for some people. It's a great conversation-starter as well, because you'll have a great story to tell about how you did it.
It might be worthwhile to figure out how much it would cost to buy all the disposable stuff and then visit a local thrift store to see if you can find what you need there for the same or less money. Most communities have a thrift-store maven who blogs about which thrift-stores are best for which items.
I know, I know, there's no guarantee that you'll find stuff as perfect as anything Adler/Martha/AT approves as designer-perfect. So, get creative with making what you find work.
When you're done with it, you can donate it to a local shelter. For the same money, you've taken action in all three categories of the green mantro: "Reduce (your purchase of goods that must be shipped) Reuse (plates that are perfectly good) Recycle (pass them on to another user.)
Note: This might be the perfect solution for plates, cups, and flatware for the kids. Who cares if they break any of it?
For a few, this is a perfect solution. For some, it might be part of a larger solution. For many, it might be impossible. Take what you like and leave the rest.

That should have been "green mantra". Sorry for the typo.

@bobthefish: Yes.

Hiring a dishwasher and/or renting table settings is the way to go. I first heard about hiring a dishwasher from a wonderful book out called Forking Fantastic, written by two women who hold a crazy big weekly supper club in Astoria. They hire a friend or someone they know who could use a couple extra bucks to almost all of the prep and cleaning, which also keeps the party moving more smoothly. I imagine a lot of people would feel uncomfortable about either having someone they don't know in their kitchen or paying a friend to clean up after everyone, but giving someone work is one of the best things to do for the environment and the economy.

Well this may be a little a retro but Corelle has been my party plate of choice for the last few years - inexpensive, lightweight but far sturdier than paper plates (especially when you have folks eating on their laps) and when the party is over, away they go on the top shelf in the back of the closet.

I agree that plastic and styrofoam are horrible, they are ruining the ocean and killing marine animals. But paper plates are not any better. Even the recycled ones takes tons of water to make, and the non recycled kind contribute to deforestation.

There's no reason that dozens of species should lose their habitats for a product we only use for an hour.

I like the idea of hiring someone to do the dishes and prep work while the host enjoys the crowd. We used to use paper plates with our family (me, 4 siblings, 2 parents + spouses & kids = 25!) but instead my parents put in a second dishwasher, and we all pitch in to load it after dinner. Easy.