Guest post: How to plan an eco-friendly kids party
12th May 2022 - 3 min read
Planning a kids birthday party can be pretty stressful at the best of times. So how can we make parties more eco-friendly without adding to the stress?
Isabel Mack, founder of the Party Kit Network, shares her tips for a more eco-friendly kids party…
Tip #1 Go Digital for Invitations - Save trees and time by sending electronic party invites to your guests. This could be as simple as an email or text message with the party details, or use an online invite service such as Paperless Post which can also track RSVPs helping to reduce party admin.
Tip #2 Eco-friendly Decorations - Unfortunately there is no such thing as an eco-friendly balloon. Therefore it's better to avoid, or at least reduce, the number of balloons used at a party.
It’s still possible to create a colourful party without relying on single-use decorations. Eco-friendly alternatives include paper fans, honeycomb balls, bunting, felt ball garlands or even pot plants.
Many reusable decorations can be hired or borrowed via local lending groups and party businesses. Or you may want to create a party decorations box much like many of us already have for Christmas, Diwali and other annual celebrations.
Tip #3 Switch to Reusable Tableware - Instead of buying disposable plates and cups to throw away at the end of the party, switch to reusables.
Reusables can be just as colourful and convenient as disposables and they are so much better than that soggy paper plate!
If you don’t have enough tableware for the number of party guests, borrow from friends and family, ask guests to bring their own plate or hire a reusable party kit. Most reusables are dishwasher-friendly and some party kit providers will even do the washing up for you!
Tip #4 Party Food - Food waste can really add to the carbon footprint of your party. Last minute panic buying fuelled by a fear of under-catering can lead to a lot of leftovers.
To avoid buying too much food for a kids’ party keep the menu simple, particularly if the party’s being held outside of a normal mealtimes. Be realistic about what guests will eat - often the beautifully made sandwiches will get left in favour of a party plate predominantly made up of crisps and cake.
Plan for leftovers. Take food containers with you so any uneaten food can be packed up to take home. Many party foods can be frozen (including cake and even crisps!) which means less will end up going to waste.
Tip #5 Ditch Plastic Party Favours - How often have kids returned home from a party with a plastic-filled party bag which holds little interest? Not only is this a waste of money, it also creates a lot of unnecessary plastic waste.
Consider just offering a slice of cake to take home after the party - it's likely to be appreciated and unlikely to go to waste. But if you wanted to offer something more, swap a party bag for a single favour such as a puzzle book or storybook. To add an element of fun, allow each child to pick one item from a lucky dip box - the prizes could easily be preloved items including books or small (yet robust!) toys.
Tip #6 Tackle Gifting - This is probably my least favourite part of trying to throw a more eco-friendly party… When it comes to gifting, how can we encourage guests to embrace our efforts to live more sustainably without seeming ungrateful?
If the birthday child is on board, the simplest option is to ask for no gifts, but this might be a difficult sell particularly for smaller children. One option is to actively encourage the gifting of preloved gifts within the invitation wording. Or you could ask guests to consider participating in group gifting where everyone contributes towards something the birthday child has picked; this can be organised via a service like Fundazzle.
Tip #7 Plan for Waste - Planning for waste might seem like an odd tip when we’re trying to reduce waste, but even the most hardcore eco party planner will find it difficult to avoid absolutely all waste. So instead of trying to be perfect, with a bit of pre-planning you can still reduce the impact of any waste created at the party.
If your party is outside ensure that any litter is collected after the event so that it can’t become a danger to local wildlife.
Have a tub for collecting any food waste - this is food which can’t be saved for eating later. Rather than getting mixed up with general waste, having a separate tub will make it easier to add food scraps to your compost bin or kerbside food waste collection. If you don’t have access to either of these try looking for a local compost accepting scraps via the Share Waste website.
Make it easy to separate recyclables, like drinks cans, from general rubbish. This could be as simple as having a cardboard box for each of the recycling types with a label on.
Further reading:
- - - About Isabel Mack
In 2019 Isabel was inspired to set up the Party Kit Network, a nonprofit organisation connecting those planning a party with local kits of reusable tableware and decorations. There are now hundreds of party kits across the UK and Australia helping local communities to stop unnecessary single-use items going to landfill. In 2022 Isabel was named on the Women in Social Enterprise Top 100 List.
Find out more at partykitnetwork.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/partykitnetwork
Instagram: www.instagram.com/partykitnetwork