And you are expecting the teacher to wash them with the teacher's schedule?

Look for paper plates made from recycled paper.

Ragtime gal,
Valentine's Day is over but I applaud you for wanting to do the right thing. For the next party you can buy the rigid plastic plates, plastic cups and utensils, all washable so they can be used again and again.

I work for a non-profit and I am in charge of getting ready for events. I buy as listed above and take it upon myself (without pay) to wash, dry and store it all until the next time I need them. It is the right thing to do, no?
Tina

I applaud you for going the extra mile to both provide the material and store it. In a school situtation such as the OP's it probably would not work. The teacher might not be teaching next year or have room to store the material. Summer cleaners have a habit of throwing out things such as this.

I spoke to the teacher about wanting to find a better solution than constantly buying paper plates/cups for every party, and she was open to the idea. Storage is a problem, but if she can make space for a stack of plates, cups and utensils, clear or white, the only thing that would be needed to be purchased would be napkins, which could then be the appropriate color for the holiday being celebrated (since some parents I have encountered have insisted that the colors match the theme).

I'm not sure about other schools, but our classrooms have sinks, so provided that a parent is willing to wash everything after each party, the teacher shouldn't have to be involved.

Perhaps if the school were to adopt this process, when the teachers put out their wish lists of materials to be donated at the beginning of every year, plates and cups could be on that list. They could be used for every party that entire school year, and then could be discarded at the end of the year. This would resolve the issue of summer storage or new teachers. Not ideal, but better than the 20+ classes in our school buying paper plates and cups for every single holiday party throughout the year.

I have a thought, could the school do personalised plastic cups and plates? so each grade has a photo done and this is put on the cup/plate, grade and year, it it used throughout the year and then can become a keep sake, each parent pays for the cup and plate plus say a small profit, so children in less able homes can have them too, I only ask because years ago (1995)I was hoildaying in Milwarkee over St Patricks day and a local radio station had sponsered the bar I was in and had provided cups with handles, I had 4 and I still own one which is going strong and still has the logo ect on it, the other 3, my cousin has! dishwashed, left in the garden, thrown by toddlers, stood on, its excellent. and I am sure if a local radio station got them done it wasn't prohibitively expensive although they would have big numbers, and if it can last this long being used imagine how long it would last treasured by a family as a memory, having proformed a useful function.
Also the children could take them home after use, so their parents wash up and notices to bring them back, so no storage, of course the teacher would have to have a few on standby! for the forgotten few, and I bet my two would be on that list! I have a hopeless memory!