In a country obsessed with grand celebrations, headline-making big-budget, high-profile weddings are a regular sight. However, it's not always such a rosy affair. Last year, what made headlines was the 240 quintals of waste generated at a Rs 200 crore wedding in Auli. The wedding, hosted by South Africa-based businessmen brothers, turned the hill station into a dumping ground with 24,000 kg of garbage generated after four days of celebrations. But it's not just big-budget weddings that generate so much trash. As per reports, it is estimated that more than 10 million weddings take place in India every year and all of these celebrations leave behind truckloads of trash in the form of discarded plastic cutlery, used flowers and a large amount of food, which mostly goes to waste.
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"On an average, an Indian wedding hosting 400-1000 people results in around 3 tonnes of waste and in some cases even more," informs Veena Balakrishnan, who planned her own wedding as a 'zero-waste' celebration after reading some startling facts on the waste that Indian weddings generate. While the idea of a zero-waste wedding with no extravagance is still far-fetched, there are many couples who make the effort to have eco-friendly celebrations. Here are some tried and tested ways to cut down on wastage while still having a blast at your wedding.
Do away with plastic chairs and use wooden diwans with cushions for seating. If possible, opt for a day wedding in an open area to avoid additional lighting
E-invites or seed paper invites
E-invites are an easy substitute to elaborate wedding invites that always end up in the trash. But wedding organisers say that "it is very tough to convince families (especially the elders) to do away with the paper, cardboard invites." So they suggest using alternatives like seed paper and cotton paper. "The only disadvantage is that seed paper is slightly more expensive than regular paper invite, but that cost can be recovered by saving on other expenditure, like decor," says wedding consultant Prakriti. Bengaluru-based Indraja Khare, co-founder of a company that organises sustainable events and weddings, says, "The number of invites (even if it is seed paper) should be limited and shouldn't be sent to every guest. The easiest way to cut the cost is to go with a one-page invite."
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Seed Paper Thank You Card
Locally-sourced flowers, minimum construction and reusable props for decor
Discarded flowers form the biggest chunk of trash generated from weddings, and wedding planners say that their usage should be cut down. " If you must use flowers, use locally-sourced ones from a nearby mandi, this also help small-scale entrepreneurs. Planning a sustainable wedding means making the best use of what's already available," says Prakriti Rajvanshi, a Delhi-based wedding consultant, who advises people on sustainable weddings. Mumbai-based Aishwarya Lonial, who calls herself a 'green event and wedding planner' says that the best way to utilise floral waste is to give them to NGOs that make products out of them. "We collect floral waste and send them to NGOs who make incense sticks, rangoli and Holi colours out of them. The NGOs sell these products and generate funds," adds Aishwarya.
For decor, use reusable props
Sharing an example from her sister's wedding which happened in Bikaner last year, Prakriti says, "We used nimbu-mirchi as decor for my sister's sangeet, and later, distributed them among relatives who used them for cooking purposes. We also used table mats made of jute sacks. While planning the decor, use props that can be reused. We had handmade signboards using seed paper and cardboard scrap. Special seating tags were made using upcycled scraps of jute bags." Aishwarya adds that the decor should have minimum construction. "Choose your venue wisely and we advise against constructing elaborate structures just to have a theme wedding. It results in wastage of wood, thermocol and other material that cannot be reused," she says.
Don't use plastic gift wraps
Sustainable gifting doesn't mean just gifting plants, it also means come up with sustainable ways of gift wrapping. Giving cash is also better than gifting items that are just passed on. While you can't always control what guests gift you, you can be sustainable with return gifts.
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Locally-sourced clothes and souvenirs and things that can be reused make for ideal gifts. Prakriti shares that for her sister's wedding, she created envelopes made of newspapers that had a wax seal with the initials of the bride and groom. All clothes, including kota doria saris for bridesmaids, were locally sourced and for packaging, she says, "We made bags out of my mom's old organza sari, which could later be used as laundry bags."
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Repurpose old saris to make gift bags, give locally-sourced garments, seed potlis and planters as gifts
Rent and upcycle outfits
Thanks to the comeback of Banarasi and traditional embroidery, many brides are going through their mothers and grandmothers' trunks for saris and lehengas that can be upcycled for their wedding trousseau. If one doesn’t have any upcycling options, they can also opt for renting a wedding outfit. "Even designer lehengas are available on rent now, which is the most economical option. Many young brides are now doing away with buying expensive lehengas and are open to the idea of renting," says Indraja.
Cut down on the number of functions, choose a venue that requires minimal construction and use locally-sourced flowers
This bride upcycled old Kolhapuris for her sangeet ceremony
Don't use plastic cutlery
Plastic and thermocol plates and cutlery and food are among the biggest generators of waste at weddings. However, now that many NGOs have started collecting surplus food from weddings and distributing it among the needy, it is easier to minimise food wastage. But cutlery still remains the primary source of plastic waste at weddings. " Ceramic, steel or bamboo disposable plates are ideal alternatives. Ceramic and steel cutlery are getting popular at weddings, but people still tend to go for plastic bottles or glasses. Disposable bamboo glasses should be preferred over paper or plastic glasses," says Aishwarya. You can also opt for banana leaves and reusable steel glasses. Segregate dry and wet waste so that composting is easier after the celebrations are over.
Get some old world charm by opting for steel plates and glasses instead of plastic ones
