Hello, Zero-Plastic Parties: 11 Urban Initiatives That Let You Rent Plates & Cutlery!
Check out these awesome crockery banks and rental services across India that would help you out for your next house party!
House parties are the best thing ever! Birthday bashes, housewarming, celebratory occasions—people who love to entertain cannot have enough of them.
With the click-and-order age we live in, organising such events is a piece of cake. Food gets catered, and as for crockery and cutlery, most of us fall back on the good-ol’ disposable dinnerware.
It is high-time that you adopted the eco-friendly and responsible way of eating and throwing parties. Check out these compostable and green alternatives at The Better Shop.
And voila! No washing or cleaning, which is perhaps why people go for these.
The sad reality is that sometimes a house party can generate more waste than a single household’s entire month’s worth of garbage! And all this, inevitably ends up in landfills, thus polluting the environment.
How do we solve this ubiquitous crisis? Well why don’t we rent crockery! We present you with a list of initiatives that offer dinnerware and cutlery on rent.
Change cannot begin overnight but if we all start making conscious decisions to cut out disposable plastics from our lifestyles, perhaps, change cannot be far away.
So, check out these awesome dinnerware banks and rental services across India that would help you out for your next house party!
1. Rent-A-Cutlery
Operating from the Sarjapur and Whitefield areas of Bengaluru, Lakshmi Sankaran and Rishita Sharma started Rent-A-Cutlery to rent out dinnerware to the people in the city.
Inspiration struck when the duo volunteered in the waste management and composting initiatives of Whitefield Rising, one of the city’s most influential citizen missions dedicated to civic projects.
“We decided to become a part of the solution for one of the major problems the city is encountering, which is garbage mismanagement,” says Lakshmi.
For a set of one 12-inch plate, spoon, bowl and tumbler, the venture charges Rs 15 for 24 hours. All the dinnerware, as per their claims, is sanitised using a citrus peel bio-enzyme natural cleaner made at home. They rent out their crockery for pujas, birthday parties, small community events, corporate functions and even get-togethers at homes.
For more information, you can reach them on Facebook here.
Find details of cutlery renting services here. Know of someone providing facilities to rent cutlery in your city? Email us at [email protected] with the subject line: ‘Cutlery Renting Details’. The email should include the name of person/organisation, their phone number and email ID, and the name of the city.
2. Adamya Chetana, Bengaluru
Flagged off in 2016, this initiative gave birth to Bengaluru’s first ever plate/tumbler bank system started by a city-based non-profit organisation, Adamya Chetana.
With an inventory encompassing 10,000 sets of steel plates, spoons and glasses, the organisation doesn’t charge any rent, but one is required to deposit a cheque for the value of utensils and cutlery borrowed. The cheque will be given back once the items are returned intact. In case of any damages, a certain amount is deducted to cover the repair costs.
You can reach them out here.
3. Spill Savers, Bengaluru
The sink filled to the brim with soiled dinnerware is a nightmare one wakes up to after an amazing party. Dreading such scenarios, disposable crockery wins hands down. However, Namma Ooru-based Spill Savers keep your nightmares away by taking on the responsibility of cleaning the dirty dishes!
Sounds like a shiny and lemony-fresh heaven, doesn’t it?
Pooja Dixit and Shalini Goel’s venture stands out amidst dinnerware renting caterers in Bengaluru as they supply entire dining sets, which include plates, bowls, spoons, water glasses, and even cloth napkins for parties and events.
“We did not even put up a poster but people heard about us and gave us orders. There are so many people out there who care about the environment and want to stay true to their eco-friendly philosophy even when they are celebrating,” says Pooja.
For more information, you can check them out on Facebook here.
4. Crockery Bank for Everyone
Started by Gurugram resident Sameera Satija, Crockery Bank for Everyone, as the name suggests, lends citizens steel utensils for functions and occasions free of cost. The initiative was fuelled by the idea of helping citizens cut down the use of single-use plastic crockery and avoid adding to the growing mountains of plastic waste in the city.
The decision to do so took flight after Sameera observed many public initiatives, where water and other beverages were being distributed for free, but in disposable glasses that would make way to dump yards and landfills.
How to avail of this steel crockery bank?
Just ping them on Facebook with your requirements and they’ll get back to you!
5. Trash Trimmers, Indirapuram (UP)
Started last year by Archana Garg, a teacher and a zero-waste enthusiast in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, this initiative operates in the NCR region and rents out reusable dinnerware for small gatherings and occasions.
The service is free but you may have to make a small safety deposit if the orders are from distant locations in Delhi as well as NCR.
Check them out on Facebook here.
6. Namma Cutlery Bank, Chennai
Hosting eco-friendly events just got easier in Chennai, thanks to Namma Ooru Foundation.
With a stock of 200 units each of tiffin plates, cups, spoons and tumblers, the non-profit organisation’s crockery bank aims to lessen the load in landfills and also indirectly contribute to water conservation as the demand for paper cups too goes down. A lot of water is used in the manufacture of these cups. More than what will be required to maintain the stainless steel dinnerware.
“Parties and events cause a lot of plastic waste and we came across a lot of people who sought alternatives. Since our foundational tenets centre upon plastic waste reduction, we thought why not give them the solution!” says P. Natarajan, founder of Namma Ooru Foundation.
They only charge a nominal fee to sustain the initiative. So, spread the word about Namma Cutlery Bank and join this awesome movement and be part of the solution.
Find out more here.
7. Zero Waste Party, Pune
GreenishORA is another eco-enterprise that offers solutions to the burgeoning landfills. Their Zero Waste Party, kick-started last year on World Soil Day, is an initiative that aims to cut down single-use plastic waste from regular as well as house parties in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad areas.
One advantage that the Pune-based GreenishORA offers its customers is that they take on the responsibility of cleaning the dirty dishes, with the goal of keeping convenience as well hygiene intact.
You can reach them here.
8. Hamdubhai Mominbhai & Sons (HMS), Ahmedabad
Established in 1982, the Ahmedabad-based company boasts of having a unique and exclusive collection of crockery, cutlery, and glassware available to hire for your special occasions.
From Corelle and La Opala dinnerware sets to simple steel ware, they have plenty of options that you can check out depending on your budget and the tone of the party. Find more about HMS on their website.
9. The Sophisticated Touch, Panaji (Goa)
Hailing from a hospitality background, Prasad Joshi started this venture 12 years back and offers a wide range of dinnerware for hire to not just five star hotels and companies but also the local community members in Panaji. Their dinnerware range includes classic crockery, polished cutlery, glassware, steel crockery, and unique kitchenware, to name a few.
“The rise in disposable plastic waste has led people across the State to look for alternatives in the past few years. There definitely is a rise in awareness. I feel that having such services in cities is certainly crucial in bringing down plastic cutlery usage that most people or organisations would throw away after the first use,” adds Prasad.
Here’s more on their website.
10. ReUse Cutlery Bank, Bengaluru
Started as a small initiative by volunteers of KR Puram Rising, the crockery bank has a stock 70 dinner plates, 55 tumblers, 50 tea glasses, and 30 snacks plates, funds for which were contributed by the local Councillor.
They offer their services to small scale events and have catered to events including birthday parties, School Sports days, and baby showers. You can reach out to them here.
11. The Bartan Company, Hyderabad
The overwhelming response that ‘The Bartan Company’ received in the first month of its launch, boosted the morale of four Hyderabad women who started an initiative renting out crockery with the mission to change the way people partied in the city.
It was the reckless use of plastic items that pushed Nidarshana, a Marketing and Communications professional, to send a message on a WhatsApp group putting out feelers to start an eco-initiative. In no time, the message brought together four like-minded women, Nidarshana, Madhumita, Sushoma and Reena, who started their venture by the end of 2018. With Bintix Waste Research Private limited, a waste collection company, and Balaji Rao, a professional from Deloitte, pledging to sponsor the first tranche, the founder members kickstarted ‘The Bartan Company’.
“We did a thorough survey of the market and spoke with people who ran similar initiatives. Unlike most of the utensil banks that provide crockery for free, we decided to rent them out to keep our model sustainable,” explains Madhumita.
You can reach out to them here.
Find details of cutlery renting services here. Know of someone providing facilities to rent cutlery in your city? Email us at [email protected] with the subject line: ‘Cutlery Renting Details’. The email should include the name of person/organisation, their phone number and email ID, and the name of the city.
(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)
Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: [email protected]
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter
This story made me
97
121
89
167
Tell Us More
We bring stories straight from the heart of India, to inspire millions and create a wave of impact. Our positive movement is growing bigger everyday, and we would love for you to join it.
Please contribute whatever you can, every little penny helps our team in bringing you more stories that support dreams and spread hope.
Home
Read
Watch
Contribute
