Diwali 2024: Diwali, the festival of light, is celebrated with loads of tasty snacks and sweets. The markets are cramped with large, extravagantly packaged gift boxes of snacks with ribbons and plastics. It’s not Diwali if, by the end of the season, a pile of boxes towers in the corner. Whether it’s re-gifting the same Soan Papdi box or sending a big dry fruits assortment package with a bunch of plastic wrappings, a lot of packaging material accumulates, which can be a hazard to the environment, polluting landfills with plastics. However, here are some ways to address this issue and adopt an eco-friendly approach to feasting this Diwali.

Homemade sweets

Most of the packaging comes from store-bought sweets, so this Diwali, go eco-friendly by making homemade sweets with love. Package them in cardboard wrapping, or gift them in containers, to later be returned. Moreover, these sweets are healthy, compared to the store-bought ones, fresh, and more sustainable with the lack of excessive packaging. From barfis, and laddoos to halwas, homemade sweets are delicious.

Say no to plastics at Diwali party

Numerous parties are hosted during Diwali, involving large gatherings, good food, and music. Arranging food is certainly a task for a big gathering. But, it is vital to refrain from using plastics, such as plastic cups, spoons, and plates. Instead, opt for biodegradable cardboard plates, which are more suitable for the occasion. For cups, choose paper cups. Additionally, be mindful of junk food like chips and soft cold drinks, as their plastic packets and bottles can easily be strewn about, littering the place. Keep homemade snacks like samosa, dhokla, murukku, and banana chips with drinks like aam panna, shikanji and chaach. Be mindful of the decorations as well, avoiding plastic decor items.

You can even loan crockery from your neighbours for the party, cutting down on even paper utensils waste.

Personal chaat corner

The market promises a gastronomic indulgence with a hundred different flavours and options to try this Diwali, be it a unique flavour of packaged gol gappa or chaat-style chips. It’s all an unfortunate attempt to lure towards overconsumption of snacks, with the packaging eventually piling up as trash.

But there's a better option. Create a personal chaat corner at your home. Gather the ingredients, mix and match, and create the iconic street chaats like papdi chaat, bhelpuri, sev puri, and dahi bhalla, or go a mile extra and make a custom chaat and name it after yourself. The possibilities are endless with a chat corner. Most of the chaat dishes include similar ingredients, so gather them together and beforehand consider watching a few tutorial videos on how to master the art of chaat making. Voila! You’ll have your own flavorful chaat corner.

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