5 tips for an eco-friendly, fun picnic

Are there green or natural spaces in your local area, such as beaches and woodlands, that’d be suitable for a picnic?

• Walking to your picnic spot, where possible, will reduce your fuel consumption, as well as your carbon footprint. You’ll also be saving your pennies by cutting your fuel and travel costs.
  
  
• It’s an opportunity to get to explore your local area and find new routes. Walking or cycling to and from your picnic is also a great way to exercise.
  
  
• If you need to travel to find the perfect picnic spot, try to use public transport rather than a car or personal vehicle. You could also car share with your friends and family to reduce the number of cars on the roads.
  
  
• This'll help if parking's limited near your picnic spot, too!

Reusable plates, cutlery and containers are great for helping you do your bit for the environment. Try and avoid single use plastic, such as disposable plates and cups, if you can.

• Try to find bamboo, paper or metal straws, rather than single use plastic ones.
  
  
• Use cloth napkins that you can wash and use again.
  
  
• Bring your own non-breakable items that you use at home, such as reusable plastic plates and cutlery. Make sure to wrap them carefully, and take them all back home with you.

• Make some finger food, such as sandwiches, to reduce the amount of cutlery you need. If you do need cutlery, and can’t bring your own from home, take FSC certified wooden cutlery rather than opting for single use plastic versions.

• Store pre-prepared food and leftovers using reusable wraps or boxes.
  
  
• Grab the fruit and veg you'll need from the ‘loose’ section of the supermarket to avoid any unnecessary packaging and reduce any food waste.
  
  
• Pack for your picnic in boxes, baskets or containers you’ve already got at home, instead of plastic bags. You could choose to use a bag for life or canvas bag too.
  
  
• Quench your thirst by filling up some reusable water bottles. It’s important to stay hydrated, but try and avoid single use plastic water bottles if you can.

It’s tempting to grab everything you need from the supermarket for your picnic, especially when fresh snacks come pre-packaged.

If you want to avoid any unnecessary plastic and package waste, as well as save money, prepare as much as you can at home.

• Could you make homemade sandwiches, soups or cereal bars to bring with you?
  
  
• If you’re having a picnic with others, why not split the dishes out between you? One person could make sandwiches, another person could prepare salad, and so on. This'll stop you having too much of each dish and leave you with less wasted food.
  
  
• Remember to consider everyone’s dietary requirements, so nobody’s left out, and food isn’t wasted.
  
  
• You can also support your local farms and the environment by sourcing local ingredients for your picnic. Why not see if there's a farmer’s market in your area?

Making your picnic menu more planet-friendly is another way you can help the environment. 

• Make fruits and vegetables the staples of your picnic.
  
  
• Why not save your food scraps and try to regrow tasty fruits and veggies from them? You could save your tomato and pepper seeds, plant them, and grow your own food at home.
  
  
• Try to create an eco-friendly menu made of natural foods, which are compostable and leave less waste.

The key to an eco-friendly picnic is taking all your litter with you and disposing of it responsibly.

Litter can be harmful to wildlife and make the landscape look untidy, so we should leave our natural spaces as clean as we found them, or even cleaner!

• Find out if there are recycling facilities, and what the rules are nearby, so you know what you’ll be able to recycle at your spot.
  
  
• Prepare clearly labelled recycling bins to bring with you, so you can pick up litter as you go.
  
  
• Could you organise some games that involve litter picking? You could make it a competition and award a prize to the person who picks up the most litter. Do stay safe by using gloves or litter pickers if you’re collecting general litter, rather than just your own.
  
  
• Bring biodegradable bags for your rubbish and have different bags for recycling. Make sure you have a specific bag to put food waste in, so you can try to compost all your food waste, instead of putting it in a bin.

Why not make ‘eco-friendly’ the theme of your gathering? We’ve got some brilliant WWF-supported activities for learning more about looking after our world, while you tuck into your planet-saving picnic.

We hope you have fun, stay safe and enjoy your picnics in the sunshine this summer.