5 Easy Eco-friendly Birthday Party Swaps

We see you friend! Being torn between the waste and the wishes. It truly feels like you can't have both, balancing bright and beautiful with beige but biodegradable. We've crawled the internet for you, so you don't have to endlessly Google 'eco friendly guilt-free birthday party ideas' while you're already madly organising food, invitations and cakes. By the way - did you figure out the theme they want yet?

Let's go over some of the simple swaps you can make while combatting the waste that naturally comes with birthday party season.

1) FOR THE LOVE OF GOD BAN THE BALLOONS! 

They're as joyful as they are disastrous. We're already aware of how dangerous plastic balloons are for wildlife and don't even get me started on letting them obnoxiously float across the Southern Ocean. Avoid them if you can. 

Hot Tip: If you do end up purchasing balloons for the party and would like to re-use them, check out our blog post here on how to turn them into sensorty toys when the party is over!

 

BETTER:

Bubbles! Obviously they're still in plastic containers but if looked after, they'll look after you. They're re-fillable (if you don't leave them out on the lawn all summer) and at the end of their life they can become test tubes for science experiments or a cute outdoor vase. On party day, they even double as the entertainment and make for great photo opportunities. If you've ever been to a kid's party before, you've probably got a sweet collection of these already.

 

Hot Tip:

Tape the holders to a tree/ garden stake so that your well meaning nephew doesn't upend the tube and spill it down his best pants.

Another Hot Tip:

Bubbles stain the hell out of clothes and are usually the culprit for those mystery grey stains on all your kids best outfits.

BEST

One of our Cookie Candle balloons of course...they're a great alternative to plastic ones, just as colourful and FAR more delicious. 

2) PARTY PLATES

You may think you're doing the right thing by purchasing paper plates over plastic ones for your birthday feast, however most are NOT recyclable, like at all. This my friends, is called 'green washing'. Once you've used your paper plates, they're soiled with food (remember why you bought them, like, for food to go on?) and they're now contaminated. They SHOULD NOT go into the household recycle bin. Shame really.

BETTER:

Sugarcane/ plant based plates. If they're 100% paper, they should be home compostable. You can find home compostable plates in bulk at Greenpack (Pack of 50 - $6)  or at Kmart ($10 for 25)  

Hot Tip:

Not all paper plates are home compostable! Always check the paper plate's composition. If it's shiny or coated (such as literally any themed print- so sorry Elsa) it will have to go in the general waste, soiled or not. We applaud your eco efforts, however try not to get fooled by the 'made from paper ' thing, unless it's certfied home compostable. See waster.com.au for more information regarding paper plate recycling.

BEST:

Re-usable plates! It costs the most up front, however you'd be lying to yourself if you think you're only hosting a singular birthday party. Generally speaking, your child will most likely end up with a birthday party again next year. This option works particularly well for families with multiple children, because you can use your re-usable plate set multiple times annualy. I'd also recommend purchasing your set ASAP, or from the get-go if you can so that you get maximum use out of them and value for money. Re-usable plates work out to be $1 each and come in different colours. The investment is more than worthwhile. You can find some at Coles. 

Up side?

Multiple uses! Such as:

• Family gatherings, hosting Christmas, house parties
• Picnics
• Play dates and pizza nights with friends
• Ultimate frizby (so many spares!)

The down side?

Washing after use. Urgh. We chuck ours in the dishwasher and don't judge ourselves too hard when they warp, due to setting the dishwasher too hot. Go team.

3) WRAPPING PAPER (AND PASS THE PARCEL)

Remember our arch nemesis 'green washing'? Let me introduce you to his evil cousin...'wish-cycling'. For generations we've been putting wrapping paper in the recycling bin. It's paper right? Sorry to disappoint. The same rule for plates applies to wrapping paper. If it's shiny, glittery, holographic... it's destined for the general waste bin. Placing that stuff in your recycle bin feels like a good deed...but you just 'wish-cycled' babe. 

BETTER:

Actually recyclable wrapping paper! Check out InkyCo for beautiful and truly sustainable wrapping paper without the tricks. I'm not associated with them, but will happily shout out another small Australian buisness. 

If you need something more budget friendly, take a leaf out of Maria's favourite things song and try 'brown paper packages tied up with string' these are now one of your favourite things! Kraft paper, and plant based twine. Let your kids draw all over it and hey presto, now it's personalised. Art, even! Plus there is no need for a card. *Fist bump*

BETTER (WITHOUT A BUDGET): 

Material wrapping.

Definitely an investment up front, but infinitely re-usable and can be handed down for generations. Consider reusable material wrapping options, such as these from Hello Snowglobe.

Lush has them too, they're beautiful (but exxy).

When deciding material wrapping you have the option of:

1) Gifting the wrapping as part of the present (to hopefully pass on again).

2) Saying bravely to your mum friend 'I need that wrapping back again please'.

3) Keeping them in the family. We tend to safe guard ours and save them just for our immediate family birthdays, then they go back in the cupboard awaiting the next birthday. We also bought some Christmas themed ones for that other special time of year.

 

BEST

Hunt through your wardrobe! I bet there are several unused items such as scarves (yes, I remember the early 2000's) that would be glad to see the light of day again. Opp shops are great for this, you can pick up a bunch of scarves and left over lengths of material for very little outlay.

4) LOLLY BAGS

Friggin seriously stop with the plastic single use pretty/shiny/ instantly thrown out ones I find tucked in between the couch cushions after my kid ate all the sugar out of them. 'Yes sweetheart, you can have one before dinner'. Read 'one entire lolly bag before dinner', apparently.

I digress.

Don't panic, I'm not going to suggest you get your child to tuck their hands together and try not to drop everything. "Darling, use your chin!"

There are definitely alternatives.

BETTER:

Have you heard of our friend paper? It's a no brainer. Same function. Same time used and left forgotten in the back seat of your car...but will break down a lot quicker than 500 years in landfill.

I get it though, kids like colours and paper is brown. Or white, at a push. However, there really are so many coloured paper bags available. You can still liven things up, PLUS we can recycle it at the end. PLEASE let me recycle it at the end. The rule is, if it's rippable it's recyclable. Remember to always remove any non paper attachments - left over balloon ribbon, I'm looking at you.

You can find colourful, budget friendly paper lolly bags in so many places. If you bulk buy them for the future, you can save a lot over time too. Kmart has them, (grab some plates while you're at it) and so does Amazon.  

If you're after a variety of eco friendly birthday party options, check out Burnt Butter Cakes. They have a great variety of sustainable party wares including cutlery, napkins, plates and table cloths to celebrate your milestones without the plastic guilt. 

5) LAST BUT NOT LEAST: CAKE DECORATIONS 

Here at Cookie Candles, we've designed a product that combines both the cake topper/decorations AND a birthday candle. This saves your efforts and wallet from buying multiple items from different places to decorate your cake. We even sell sprinkles! Your entire cake is sorted in one place. No wax candles going to landfill and no need for acrylic birthday cake toppers anymore. Eat it instead! We even offer free local pick up, and a $5 local drop off service to help you out. 

 

In summary, it's achievable to throw a wonderful birthday party for your loved ones while being more eco conscious. The planet will thank you for it. Your children may even thank you for it in the future. I'm an optimist.

If you have any other great eco-friendly birthday party swaps, we'd love to hear from you! Please comment below so we can share our ideas.

Happy partying!

Please note, I'm not affiliated with any of the above outside buisness/companies. I'm just another mum looking to make eco swaps where possible. 

Written by Chloe from Cookie Candles