Are plastic or paper plates better for a party?

The answer to this question would all depend on your personal needs and priorities. I believe any effort to conserve natural resources (paper is made from wood) as much as possible is a good thing. On the other hand, cleaning non-paper products utilizes time and other resources (water) as well. I still prefer this because I feel my family at least reduces the amount of paper waste it puts out. The worst possible option, in my opinion, is styrofoam plates since they take eons to decompose once they're disposed.

Certainly using ceramic or glass plates presents a more elegant or formal table. Generally my family uses these the most since I cook frequently at home, and a few more plates makes little or no difference in the amount of time or resources needed for cleaning up. We reserve the use of paper plates to only those occasions where the use of non-paper plates would be a waste of resources to clean them.