My husband’s birthday just passed and I’ll be hosting my friends this Saturday to celebrate! For those who don’t know, I love to host – be it birthdays, hang outs, or holiday parties. But it got me thinking: I’ve never written a post about hosting a zero waste birthday party! So I figured it was time to change that. To be honest, birthday parties, while fun, generate a lot of waste. It’s hard to avoid, but not impossible. Here are some tips I have for you to keep the fun, without hurting the planet.
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6 Zero Waste Birthday Party Tips For The Best Celebration
1. Use real plates – or compostable ones
If it’s a small birthday party gathering, and kid-free, you can definitely get away with using reusable plates, cutlery, and cups. If you have a larger gathering, you can always thrift some reusables you designate for parties only.
Thrift stores have so many pretty (and affordable) collections of glassware, drinkware, dinnerware and cutlery. I have found so many pretty floral plate sets that would look wonderful for a tea-party themed birthday!
But if cleanup is too much of a hassle, consider investing in some compostable plates and utensils. I love the ones from Bambu: I use their plates for almost every occasion.
I love their fancy plate collection – they have cute decorative scalloped edges and come in three varying sizes perfect for serving everything from appetizers to cake to main courses. Use the code GREENIFYME at checkout for 10% off your order!
When I’m done using them, I just place them right into the compost. Which leads me to my second point…
2. Setup a compost + recycling station
Make sure your guests have a clear understanding of where the compost and recycling stations are. Label them if you have to! For every get-together I have, I always make a little announcement letting my guests know where to dump their stuff.
It’s funny because the bin I typically use for recycling gets used for compost at my parties. I just put a big clear plastic bag inside it, then bring it to a drop off location the following day. For recycling, I have a little bucket people can put their glass beer bottles/cans into.
Composting food scraps reduces so much waste! Here’s a list of things you can compost, which may be helpful to share with your guests.
3. Cook and bake from scratch
If you can, it’s always best to cook and bake from scratch, because you have complete control of how your food is made. Plus, it can reduce packaging waste!
A lot of cakes, goodies and catering companies use excessive packaging that’s often destined for the landfill. Making your own food helps cut down on this waste – and makes your dishes a lot healthier.
For example, if it’s a kids party, making a big batch of mac and cheese, or a homemade pizza, is always a hit. For adults, you can stick to finger foods or have a whole dinner party – the choice is up to you. Having a bit of a pot luck situation is nice too – you can ask guests to make one thing and bring it to the party so it’s less cooking for you.
For birthdays, I usually just invite people over for cake and dessert. I’ll take the time to make a cake (my chocolate cake is always a hit – though I recently made a blueberry lemon cake that was off the charts). Sometimes I like to make blueberry muffins or strawberry loaf as an additional dessert. Or, I’ll ask my guests to bring something they’ll enjoy.
Make sure to have reusable serving ware too: You can find some at thrift stores (like big bowls and platters). These looks pretty and also reduce the need for disposable plates and trays!
The point is: Whatever you can make from scratch, even if it’s just one or two things? Do it! And try to find the ingredients as sustainably/plastic-free as possible, such as sourcing them from a farmers market or refillery. Opt for paper, cardboard, or glass packaging when in doubt!
If cooking/baking really isn’t your thing, consider catering from a place that shares your values or at least offers healthy plant-based options.
4. Source gifts sustainably – with mindful wrapping
I try to be very mindful when it comes to gifts. For example, my husband needed some new shirts, and he loves wearing graphic t-shirts. So for his birthday I made sure to get some organic graphic t-shirts from TenTree! Here are some zero waste gifts for men that might help you if you find men hard to shop for.
I find giving practical gifts are always going to be the less wasteful option. Does anyone really use those bath and body works creams and perfumes? I sure don’t.
Try to think about what you’ve heard the person mention they need or want over the last few months. Are they constantly complaining about not being able to make homemade juice? Get them a juicer! Is their old wallet falling apart? Get them a new one!
Whenever possible, try to get people gifts that are thrifted, secondhand, or from a sustainable brand. Last year, I thrifted some really great movies for my mom’s birthday – they still love watching things on a DVD player, so it worked out great.
When in doubt, gifting money is always a great idea. No one ever says no to that!
For gift wrap – consider upcycling old gift bags and boxes. I always save packaging paper to wrap my gifts plastic-free. I use twine to secure it. Upcycling some bows and ribbons you save can make it extra cute too! Here’s a guide to zero waste gift wrapping you might find helpful.
5. Keep the decor reusable, compostable, and/or upcycled
Decorating for a birthday party is so much fun. But it can create a lot of waste, especially if you’re using items like balloons, disposable tablecloths or confetti.
Here are some eco-friendly decoration ideas instead:
- Use a reusable tablecloth (I love Bedthreads or April Notes for linen tablecloths) – they come in so many different colors and look so charming. You can pair it with some pretty linen napkins too. Linen is a sustainable material that’s compostable at the end of its life, durable, and can be cultivated in an eco-friendly way. For napkin holders, you can DIY your own using some twine and dried/fresh flowers.
- Decorate using elements from the season. If it’s a summer birthday, why not some fresh cut blooms from the farmers market? Fall birthday? Pumpkins and gourds. Winter? Pinecones and spruce sprigs. You get the idea. Bonus: It’s all compostable!
- Instead of plastic confetti, why not leaf confetti? Just grab some leaves from outside and using a hole puncher, punch some holes through them. Save the confetti in a jar and use as needed.
- Get crafty! Upcycle some DIY decor. I’ve used empty yogurt jars as tea light candle holders; I’ve also made a happy birthday sign out of cardboard and twine. Painted it with some paint I already had too. I reused fake flowers from my bridal shower to decorate for my mom’s birthday.
- Want to assign seats? Take toilet/paper towel rolls and cut them open. You can cut off any excess to make it as small as you’d like. Then fold it. Paint it and decorate any way you want – just make sure to write the person’s name on it. Place it on or right above their plate.
6. Party favors? Make them eco
Having a birthday party that entails giving out party favors? Try to give out eco-minded gifts. This will all depend on the age of the party goers of course. If they’re kids, I think seed balls, chocolates wrapped in recyclable foil, or beeswax crayons might be cute. For adults, maybe gift them some leftovers to take home, or some consumable DIY gifts? You could always opt out of goodie bags altogether of course.
So, what did you think of these zero waste birthday party ideas? Let me know in the comments!
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