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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, my birthday is my favorite holiday! Lately, parties have become big shows. Every aspect is staged for the ‘gram (Instagram) or for Pinterest. Don’t get me wrong, of course we all love beautiful decor and picture ops. But what about the environment of the party? And what about the overall experience? My son just turned 3, and he only cares about having fun. That’s his main goal every day of his life. Thus, I wanted to make “having fun” the main priority for his birthday. I want to continue to make his birthday a bigger expression and celebration of what he loves. To accomplish this, I hosted an experience for him and his friends – a fun-filled, low waste birthday party!
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A low waste birthday party can still be a fun experience
This isn’t my first experience with trying to make Little Boo’s birthday party an eco-friendly event. For his 1st birthday, we threw the typical at home party. For his 2nd birthday, we took the experience literal. He loves trains, so we invited our friends on a train ride with us. Not many people were able to attend, though.
This past year, he has made a lot of friends, so I wanted to make sure they could easily be included. That’s why we opted for a play place style birthday party at one of the newest and most advanced recreation facilities in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex – The Epic in Grand Prairie, TX {read our review of hosting a party at The Epic here}. We were able to use their KidsPlay Preschool room to let the kids run wild and free in a safe environment. The big kids had the option to go outside and play in an outdoor play area exclusive to this room.
Creating this low waste “experience” birthday party was like a fun challenge for me. My #1 tip to get started: RETHINK every facet of what you know about hosting and experiencing a party. If you’re going to buy something to contribute to this party, you must look at that purchase through an eco-conscious lens. How are you feeding your guests? What are you giving your guests? What about gift expectations? You must think through every step of the party planning process to make it an all around more eco-friendly event. Here are some tips to get you started:
Planning a low waste birthday party experience
1. Decorations
Straight to the point – balloons are bad. There, I said it. There are entire organizations, like Balloons Blow, that exist to educate people about the hazards that balloons pose to the environment. Balloon releases are a big no-no, because they put the culprits, the balloons, directly in the way of the animals which they can harm the most. And did you know that helium is actually a nearly depleted natural resource that is needed in the medical field? Overall, though, I suggest using a different way to decorate.
For my son’s birthday this year, we made dinosaurs out of old cardboard boxes. We intended to hang them on the walls for his party or to set them up in a photogenic area as a sort of photo booth, but the space didn’t allow for that. Did the kids care? Heck no! They PLAYED with them and had a blast doing so!!! It made my heart so happy to see that they became more than decorations. They became part of good memories.
Low waste birthday party decoration ideas:
- DIY cardboard decor (recyclable with water-based paint)
- Scrap fabric bunting
- Paper decor (DIY, or store-bought)
- Toys that your kid already own, or that will be used after the party
- DIY photo booth
- Upcycled paper decorations that can be recycled
A note: if you do use balloons, make sure to properly dispose of them. I know that’s not “low-waste,” but I want to keep it real on all levels here. You may not be against balloons and want to use them, and I respect your decisions. I just hope you’ll be responsible after you use them. Don’t let the balloons go, like the ones I found floating around my neighborhood randomly one day.
2. Food
Food waste is a big contributor to waste overall. Add the pressure to impress guests and that waste multiplies. The more processed a food is, the more likely it is to have waste associated with it. Making your own food trays are a great way to start. You can purchase fruit and vegetables with your own produce bags and use trays from home to make both healthy and eco-friendly party foods.
Honesty moment: I laughed as I typed that last line hahaha! I’m tired right now, so making a lot of food for a party just SOUNDS tiring. It’s just not realistic for everyone. So you know what I did this year? We hosted Little Boo’s party at a time that wasn’t a typical eating time – the party ended at 5, so our friends could go home/out to eat for dinner afterwards. Instead, we only served cake! It’s not written anywhere that you have to serve a full course meal. It’s always nice to do so, but it isn’t required.
Low waste birthday party food ideas:
- make a beautiful homemade party meal or finger food tray
- only serve cake
- buy food with less packaging
- shop with reusable bags when you shop for your party food and supplies
- purchase party food from an eco-friendly/health friendly food store
- serve in-season and local foods, like local farmers market food
- make your own cake and place it in your own cake holder
3. Party Favors
My initial idea was to opt out of party favors altogether this year for Little Boo’s 3rd birthday party. For his first birthday, I created a DIY activity for the kids to make their own party favor. I saved up several puff snack containers and let the kids decorate them on their own, fill them with rocks and rice, seal them with hot glue and the lid, and make a music shaker out of them. It went well with the music theme of his birthday party.
This year, I asked my eco-friendly blogging friends what to do very last minute because my husband suggested we leave guests with a favor. The winning favor was cookies, suggested by Rosie at A Green & Rosie Life from her article, Eco-Friendly Party Bags. Ruth also talks about party bags in her article about Zero-Waste Birthday Parties.
Low waste birthday party favor ideas for kids:
- package-free snacks and treats
- bath bombs
- individual cakes/treats in reusable tin or glass jars
- books (second hand books included)
- no party favor at all
Related article: Host an Environmental Fundraiser and support an eco-friendly cause for your birthday or holidays
4. Gifts
If you’re on a minimalism or educational only toy journey like I am with Little Boo, you may have felt the weirdness that comes with asking people to not buy toys. Some folks say you shouldn’t dictate what others gift you, and I didn’t care either way until I was at home with a toddler 24/7 and learning about how the type of toys and number of toys that a kid has can influence them. I noticed that the more toys he has, the less he focuses. I also noticed that some toys encourage him to use his brain more than others. If you want to avoid toys that come with a lot of waste, or that won’t be forgotten soon, here are some things that you could ask your guests to gift, instead.
Low waste birthday gift ideas for kids:
- money towards a savings fund or towards a membership (i.e. museum membership)
- donations to a charity on the birthday person’s behalf
- second hand gifts
5. Dishes & Utensils
The most sustainable utensils and dishes would be those that are washable. If you host a party at home or near home, you can use your own dishes & cutlery. Some locations where you host your party may also offer dishes that why wash instead of disposable dishes. Another option is compostable dishes. Be sure to check whether the advertised “compostable” stands for back yard compostable or if it requires commercial composting. If it requires commercial composting, it would be best to be near enough to a facility or collection point so as not to create more waste by having to drive long distances to make sure that it is composted properly.
6. Drinks
As with the entire party, the goal is to generate the least amount of waste possible. The next goal should be to make whatever waste that is generated able to be recycled, composted, or reused. Instead of buying a few gallons of soda and plastic cups, buying drinks in cans that are more likely to be recycled than plastic is a better low waste option. Next would be buying drinks in larger plastic bottles and using reusable cups to drink them. You could even use compostable cups to help reduce waste.
7. Birthday Outfits
A huge trend in birthday party fashion lately has been to buy matching shirts just for the birthday party and pictures. The birthday person, parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, and more buy a brand new shirt with an image in line with the party theme. The shirts may get worn again, but overall, they are unnecessary. While we’ve never purchased party shirts, I do like the idea of it. I mean, it’s adorable! However, I had to rethink how this was done. Instead of buying new shirts that we’d probably never really wear again, I purchased secondhand shirts.
- wear something you already own in your closet
- shop at your local thrift store to find fun outfits
- second hand clothes online direct from sellers with Poshmark
- second hand clothes through online consignment & marketplaces like thredUP (get $10 to shop), Kidizen, and Toycycle.
8. Location
Where you choose to host your party can play a big role in the amount of waste generated. Will you host at a location that offers a lot of gifts and trinkets that will go on to be trash soon after being won? Do they offer a lot of plates and utensils that can’t be recycled? This convenience comes in handy if you don’t have time to put everything together on your own – that is a real concern.
- park
- indoor play area, like The Epic
- your home, or the home of a friend or family member
- local event center
9. Creating the Experience
Last, but not least, focus on creating a true experience for everyone to enjoy. At the end of the day, it will be the conversations, laughs, games, playing, and hugs that will be remembered the most. This is why the EXPERIENCE part of a low waste party means so much and should be highlighted more than things.
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