Summer is the season of outdoor get-togethers — barbecues in the back yard, picnics in the park and family reunions.

Summer is also the season of paper plates, plastic forks and disposable cups.

Unfortunately, all that fun in the sun takes a toll on the environment. Every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks and spoons to circle the equator 300 times. That’s more than 7,460,000 miles of garbage, much of which could be prevented with a little more attention to celebrating sustainably.

Does that mean we should give up on a summer of outdoor fun? Absolutely not! But, there’s a lot we can do to make our summer picnics, get-togethers, shindigs and yes, even hootenannies, more sustainable.

1. Make your party more elegant and sustainable with reusable cups, dishware, cutlery and napkins. It might not work for every gathering (I can’t imagine lugging my plates and silverware to the park either), but it’s a classy, sustainable touch when entertaining at home.

2. When reusable supplies won’t work, reduce waste with compostable supplies you can toss in your food and yard waste cart.

3. Cut down on drinks served in individual bottles and opt for pitchers or jugs instead. If you’re serving alcohol, consider picking up a keg. You’ll get more beer for your buck, and nothing says it’s a party like draft beer. Use durable cups to reduce even more waste.

4. Set out and label receptacles for garbage, recycling and compostables so everyone knows what goes where. Even if you have the rules down, your guests might not be familiar with the local guidelines. For example, did you know used fireworks are not recyclable and delivery pizza boxes should go in your yard waste cart? Even if you do, there’s a good chance Aunt Doris from Tucson is on a different system. To make sure you don’t have to play garbage monitor the entire party, you can download visual recycling guides from our website at:

Recycling Guidelines: http://wmnorthwest.com/redmond/recycling.html

Yard waste Guidelines: http://wmnorthwest.com/redmond/yardwaste.html

Garbage Guidelines: http://wmnorthwest.com/redmond/garbage.html

5. When grilling, use a gas grill over charcoal to produce less waste and make clean-up easier.

6. Don’t neglect the simple things like sending evites rather than paper invitations, choosing local, organic ingredients (farmers market, anyone?) and encourage guests to carpool or bike.

If you ever have questions about reducing waste or recycling, Waste Management is here to help. Just shoot us an email at recyclenw@wm.com or give us a call at (425) 825-2013.

With these steps and a little bit of planning, you can throw a party with memorable décor and delicious food while doing a good thing for the environment.

That’s what I call a party.

Michelle Metzler works in public education and outreach for Waste Management.