Low waste kids parties
This weekend one of the Buckinghamshire Recycles team hosted a low waste birthday party for 40 children. She was determined to keep waste to a minimum but still make sure the birthday girl and her friends didn’t miss out on all the traditional party fun. Here are her top party tips:
Cups, plates and decorations
To save 40 paper cups and plates from heading to the bin I searched the Party Kit Network and booked a kit from a local host for a small fee (about the same as buying enough disposable items). The kit came with plates, bowls, cups, jugs and trays. Everything needed for a buffet or picnic style party meal. Some kits also come with additional items such as bunting, party games and tablecloths. The kit I hired also had a £5 washing up option so that you could return it dirty if you wished. Adults were also encouraged to bring their reusable cups if they wanted to use the on-site café.
Food
To keep food waste to a minimum, crowd-pleasing margarita pizza from the local take away was on the menu with sides of carrot sticks, cucumber and falafel. Most of the food was eaten, with any accompanying parents hoovering up the remainder, but we did have a pile of crusts left over. I took a bag for food waste and a bag for recycling so I could bring it home and put it in my kerbside bin. As part of legislation put in place last year venues now need to provide food waste disposal, so it is worth checking beforehand if this is available to customers.
Presents
With 40 kids coming I wanted to avoid receiving 40 separate gifts. No 6-year-old can get through that many craft kits! The Kids Party Pact offer some great advice on how to word invitations when you want to prioritise sustainability. The birthday girl received some great pictures, homemade jewellery and crafts as well as cash to put towards something she really wants.
Party bags
The birthday girl was adamant that she needed to give out party bags otherwise we would have skipped these and just gone with just cake to take home. We kept the party bags as plastic free as possible using paper bags and including a pencil and notepad, a card craft, tube of smarties and some sweets.
Extra tips
Other ways to keep the party sustainable include party outfits from Vinted or charity shops instead of new, reusable decorations or bunting instead of balloons and keeping party prizes edible rather than plastic.
