Kids' party playbook

The amount of waste generated by children's parties is enough to deflate anyone's birthday balloon. From gifts and games to decorations and party food, it’s easier than you think to cut down on waste. And you could end up saving money while you protect the planet.

Read on for our green guide to planning kid-approved, sustainable celebrations.

Eco deco

Nothing says kids’ party like balloons, but these birthday favourites are usually single-use and can be harmful to the environment if they become litter, especially as they can take up to four years to decompose. According to the CSIRO, they are the deadliest form of litter when ingested by seabirds.

Homemade alternatives that are big on colour but low on carbon include paper chains, woollen pom-poms, fans made from paper or cardboard, and bunting made from paper or fabric. Paper streamers and paper bunting are also widely available to buy.

Check out other alternatives and learn more about the problem with balloons.

Get the kids involved in making their party decorations and pull them out year after year, just like treasured Christmas ornaments.

Speaking of Christmas, your fairy lights don’t have to hide away until December. Use them year-round to add a sparkle to your children’s party. For that eco edge, invest in solar-powered fairy lights that use LED globes.

And if your child has their heart set on a Bluey, Frozen or dinosaur-themed party, hunt down a pre-loved doona cover featuring their favourite characters from a second-hand shop or online marketplace and use the fabric for bunting, napkins or even a tablecloth

Green games

Whether it's Lucky's dad's rules, or a prize per kid, using last weekend's newspaper over storebought wrapping paper for Pass the Parcel is an easy way to recycle and reduce waste, and popping in a sweet treat from your local bulk store will cut out individual plastic wrappers.

Some zero-waste party games include musical chairs and musical statues, Simon Says, What’s the Time Mr Wolf, Duck Duck Goose, Poison Ball and the classic hide and seek.

You could also keep the kids busy by getting them to ice their own cookies and cupcakes, paint pet rocks, or even decorate t-shirts and tote bags which they can take home with them instead of party bags.

Or put a sustainable spin on Pin the Tail on the Donkey with Pin the Spider on the Web by using wool to create your own web and cardboard to fashion little spiders.

If a piñata is high on your child’s wish list, consider making one at home using the papier mâché technique and fill it with bulk-buy chocolates. As well as being a fun activity for your child to do before their party, a homemade piñata will avoid a lot of unnecessary waste.

Plates for the planet

Switching to reusable tableware for children’s parties can be the easiest and most cost-effective way to reduce your impact on the environment.

But not all reusable plates and cups were created equal. Tableware made from plastic, recycled plastic, bamboo, melamine and enamel is all dishwasher-safe and kid-friendly, but bamboo is less durable, meaning it may need to be replaced more often.

Bamboo, melamine and enamel tableware can’t be recycled after use, while the plastic alternatives can.

All reusable options come with some level of environmental cost, but any reusable tableware is better than disposable tableware.

If you have to resort to paper or plastic cups, give one cup to each child and mark them with their names so they don’t grab a new cup each time they get a drink.

Gifts that give back

While potentially controversial, it’s worth considering whether a pile of birthday presents from your child’s friends in addition to those from family members is worth the excitement and chaos when many of these can end up in a pile of untouched plastic. Why not consider breaking this wasteful cycle by requesting 'presence' over presents this year.

If it’s a bridge too far to ask for no gifts at all, make a note on your invitations to show that you welcome pre-loved presents. Items like books, sports gear, jigsaw puzzles, clothes, games (both video and board) and many children’s toys can be just as good second-hand and there’s a good chance your child won’t even notice the missing packaging.

Givers could also consider vouchers for experiences like a trip to the movies or a museum, or giving the gift of their time in the form of invitations to an epic sleepover, picnic, baking session or science experiment.

If your child is passionate about a particular issue, consider asking if they’d like to set up a donation page instead of receiving gifts. Adopting a koala or having trees planted in your child's name are gifts that will keep on giving for generations to come.

For gifts that do need to be wrapped, it’s worth remembering that regular wrapping paper is often made new, rather than from recycled paper. Wrapping paper that is shiny, metallic, or made using foil or glitter also cannot be recycled through household collection services.

Instead, you can source paper from magazines, newspapers, and even old sheet music, maps and books. Or try your hand at the Japanese art of Furoshiki and use a tea towel, pillowcase or scarf.

Sustainable swag

If party bags are a non-negotiable at your house, these can be another great opportunity to cut down on waste and encourage your guests to think about the world around them.

Fill paper bags (which can be decorated by the birthday honouree) with homemade treats or lollies you’ve bought from a bulk store.

You could also include seedlings or seed mixes for guests to plant at home, hair scrunchies, bookmarks, friendship bracelets, paper stickers or homemade colouring-in sheets.

If you’re feeling particularly energetic, try making a batch of playdough and pop portions into glass jars you’ve got lying around the house.

Food for thought

It can be tempting to show your love by over-catering at family celebrations like birthday parties, but Victorian food waste creates 3 million tonnes of carbon emissions while costing the average household around $2,200 each year.

To cut down on food waste, take the time to plan your menu, being realistic about how much your young guests will actually eat. Think about whether you can provide festive food that will also freeze well so you can make the most of any leftovers. Then make a shopping list and stick to it.

Many kids will tell you that the most important food at a birthday party is the cake. Whether you’ve outsourced this party centrepiece or painstakingly made your child’s birthday cake at home, consider swapping traditional paraffin candles for their beeswax counterparts. Pure beeswax candles actually improve air quality and if they drip onto the cake, the wax isn’t harmful to tiny tummies.

Rental revolution

If everything you’ve read so far has left you feeling exhausted, the Party Kit Network has your back.

This non-profit organisation aims to make parties more sustainable by connecting party organisers to reusable party kits in their neighbourhoods. Since July 2020, the Party Kit Network has avoided 395,952 single-use items across Australia and the UK.

All kits include tableware like plates, bowls and cups, and many others also have games, decorations, table linen and more.

Reduce your carbon footprint without the fuss and rent a reusable party kit here. Or join your neighbourhood Facebook group and see if a local has any party gear they can lend you.