How To Throw An Eco Friendly Birthday Party

Tips For Hosting A Low Waste Birthday Party For A Greener Celebration

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If you’re looking for tips on how to throw a more sustainable birthday party, you’ve come to the right place!

Kids birthday parties in particular create a ton of waste. Everything from decor to party favors and everything in between tends to be made of latex or plastic and contributes to landfill pollution.

Think about it, how many times have you shown up to a child’s birthday party only to see stacks of half eaten food on a table full of styrofoam plates, droopy latex balloons, and crinkled paper from press-on tattoos rolling passed your feet like a tumbleweed in the dessert.

But what if I told you that there are ways to make your birthday party look amazing without all that unnecessary wasteful “fluff”. Because there are literally ways to decorate, entertain and feed your guests with reusable, compostable, and sustainable items that still make your party look instagram worthy.

What Are The Benefits Of Hosting An Eco-Friendly Birthday Party?

Eco-friendly parties are low waste and plastic-free, which helps keep our wildlife and marine life safe.

Eco-friendly parties are sustainable because party decor can be reused if you purchase the right items.

Eco-friendly birthday parties are healthier because, again, no disposable plastic is involved, which tends to contain toxins.

Eco-friendly parties can save you money because you can DIY a lot of the decor and reuse items in the future.

Eco-friendly birthday parties have the potential to look dreamy and whimsical with certain green themes .

So how do you make your next birthday party as low waste as possible? Read on for our expert tips!

How To Host A Low-Waste Birthday Party For Kids

1. Send Eco-Friendly Birthday Party Invitations

Source: Youtube| Facedrawer

One way to be eco-friendly with birthday party invitations is to go paperless and create e-cards using free online graphic design platforms like Canva. Even if you’re not the best graphic designer, Canva has a ton of free templates that make creating invitations a breeze.

Emails are a great way to send paperless invitations, however, that can be problematic if you don’t have everyone’s email address. If that case, you can print your digital creations on recycled paper, or DIY your invites using construction or Kraft paper if you’re feeling crafty.

Origami invites are one such example of a unique and low-budget DIY party invite / Birthday Card—check out a tutorial above!

2. Request That Guests Do Not Bring A Birthday Card And Do THIS Instead

Let’s face it, do you really hold on to every single greeting card? While birthday cards are a nice gesture, they’re short lived, and eventually make their way to the trash.
Instead, request that guests forgo birthday cards, and have them sign one giant card or large chalk board (or white board) upon arrival.

We personally love the chalkboard idea because it’s zero waste. Your child’s friends can write their birthday wishes and then after the party, parents can take photos of their children next to the board and treasure the memory for a lifetime.

3. Swap Balloons For Sustainable Decoration Alternatives

Although latex balloons are biodegradable, unfortunately it takes them anywhere from 6 months to 4 years to completely biodegrade. In the meantime they’re wreaking havoc on local waterways, wildlife and oceans.

So instead of disposable balloons, opt for the following reusable and eco-friendly alternatives:

Felt ball garland

Burlap Happy Birthday banner

Tissue Paper PomPoms

Twinkle lights

Japanese Paper Lanterns

Paper fans

4. Swap Plastic Plates And Cutlery For Reusable Or Compostable Versions

The biggest pollution contributors at birthday parties are disposable plastic cups, plates and utensils. There is actually nothing wrong with “disposable” cutlery, it’s the plastic part that’s awful.

So if you’re hosting a birthday party at home, it’s best to use reusable plates, cutlery and cups that can easily be thrown into the dishwasher.

However, if you’re at an outdoor venue (such as a park), and lugging around reusable dinnerware from home is less than ideal, then we recommend using Kraft paper straws, compostable plates, cutlery, and drinking cups made from plant waste or bamboo.

5. Set Up A DIY Craft Station That Encourages Kids To Make Their Own Party Favors

Instead of giving out the typical party favor junk which will only get thrown out after a day or two, consider creating a crafting station that allows kids to create their own sustainable party favors. Some ideas for DIY eco-friendly party favors include:

Planting flower seeds into small ceramic pots that can also be painted and personalized .

Decorating cotton tote bags that can also be filled with treats from the party.

Decorating some wooden magnets.

Creating a bird feeder out of pinecones, peanut butter and bird seeds.

How to host an eco friendly birthday party

6. Shop Local For Your Birthday Cake And Healthy Food

Help your economy by ordering a birthday cake from a local family-owned business, and consider using beeswax birthday candles in lieu of traditional birthday candles. Beeswax candles are way more sustainable, burn longer, and don’t drip!

You can also purchase fruits and vegetables from your local farmers market. Healthy food doesn’t have to be boring, and there are a ton of ways to arrange fruits and veggies in ways that appear fun and appealing to small kids.