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Reusable Party Packs

Are you a County employee planning a meeting or event? Tired of all the waste that comes along with events? Looking for a way that YOU can make a difference for the environment? Here's a great solution!

The County Sustainability Committee is proud to introduce Reusable Party Packs to add a little class to your next County event and cut down on the amount of waste sent to the landfill.

What is a Reusable Party Pack?

A Reusable Party Pack has all the key ingredients to make your next food-based meeting or event waste-free. The following supplies are available for check out:

  • 5-gallon water coolers – 2
  • 8-ounce drinking glasses – 48 with lids (mason jars); 9 other glasses
  • Coffee/tea cups – 14
  • Small plates – 32
  • Cloth napkins – 28
  • Forks – 36
  • Knives – 35
  • Spoons – 27
  • Serving spoons – 3
Party Pack Photo

How can I use a Reusable Party Pack?

Greening your County event is easy! Just follow these simple steps:

1.  Reserve your Reusable Party Pack supplies through Outlook.

To view Reusable Party Pack availability, add the “SD Reusable Party Packs” shared calendar:

  • From your Outlook calendar, click the “Folder” tab.
  • Click “Open Calendar” and then click “Open Shared Calendar.” A pop-up window will appear.
  • From the pop-up, type “SD Reusable Party Packs.” The shared calendar will appear; you can now view it to see availability of the Party Packs.

To reserve Reusable Party Pack supplies:

  • From your personal Outlook calendar, create a regular meeting invite by typing in “SD Reusable Party Packs.” Schedule the hours you would like to reserve the Reusable Party Pack. Be sure to include the pick-up and drop-off window.
  • The “SD Reusable Party Packs” calendar will automatically accept the invite as long as it’s not conflicting with another appointment.
  • Email a completed Reusable Party Packs Use Agreement to sustainability@countyofsb.org.

2.  Pick up your Reusable Party Pack at the start of your reservation period. Supplies are located in the Sustainability Division office at:

County Engineering Building
123 E. Anapamu St.
Suite 229
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

3.  Return your Reusable Party Pack supplies, fully washed and ready for the next event. Please be sure to replace any misplaced or damaged supplies. Thank you!

What else can I do to green my event?

Want to less the environmental impact of your event even more? Here are some more green ideas:

  • Ditch the car. Choose a meeting location that doesn’t require attendees to drive. Instead, pick a place that is easily walkable/bikable and/or that attendees can access via transit. If attendees do need to drive, make it easy for them to share a ride. The County Motor Pool Reservation System now makes it easy to offer and look for carpooling opportunities: see the “Ride Sharing” tab in the reservation system.
Ride Sharing Tab
  • Minimize handouts. For example, you can provide materials electronically ahead of time and ask attendees to print their own copies if they want them. If you must print, print double-sided and minimize white space. If you’re printing slides, consider printing 2+ slides per page.
  • Avoid leftovers. Planning the right amount of food can be hard, but it’s critical to avoiding unnecessary food waste. Ask for RSVPs and only order enough food to cover the RSVPs with a small cushion. If you do have leftovers, consider donating the food to a worthy cause and/or asking attendees to bring their own to-go containers to take food with them. Check out Santa Barbara County Food Rescue for donation opportunities.
No Landfill Disposal
  • Skip the landfill. The best way to keep trash out of the landfill is to avoid the creation of waste in the first place. You’re off to a great start with the Reusable Party Packs! If you anticipate using recyclable or compostable items, make sure to provide recycling and composting options.You can e-mail Sam Dickinson with the Resource Recovery & Waste Management Division for extra recycling bins. A cardboard box makes a great container for gathering food scraps and compostable paper products. Not sure what you can recycle? Check out our Recycling Section. Need help with what to compost? Learn the Composting ABC’s.

Contact Us

Coordinate when, where, and how you can pick up and return your event supplies:

Sean Burns
Sustainability Division
spburns@countyofsb.org
(805) 568-3535

Ask an expert about waste and find out how to get recycling bins at your event:

Sam Dickinson
Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division
sdickinson@cosbpw.net
(805) 882-3618 

Learn about how our waste impacts water quality and what the County is doing to help:

Cathleen Garnand
Project Clean Water
cgarnan@cosbpw.net
(805) 568-3561

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