How to Have a Zero Waste Birthday Party for Kids

Is a zero waste birthday party for kids really possible? Yes, with the caveat that there is no such thing as zero waste. As with many things, we have come to realize over the last few years that we can only control our waste output. Instead, we quietly lead by example with our actions in our own home.

This is just what works for our family – figure out what is doable for you at this time. Remember that you set the expectations for your kids. Be sure to involve them in the decision making and they will surprise you! Kids don’t care about the theme as much as we think they do – they just want to have fun!

Invitations

It’s time to let everyone know about your zero waste birthday party! Start by making your own invitations from existing craft supplies or scraps. Go paperless by inviting people over text, email, or use a platform like Evite or Paperless Post .

Venue

Consider having a small, in-home party! This gives you far more control over the materials you use to celebrate. Many of our kids friends have had “play park” type venue party, so they really don’t feel like they are missing out. Instead, their party at home will be unique and special! Start laying the groundwork for this early if this is important to you.

Food

I typically make birthday cupcakes with ingredients purchased mostly in bulk. Cupcakes can be made in advance and iced with frozen the morning of the party. It’s also a lot less pressure with my mediocre baking skills! The kids choose sprinkles and other toppings from the bulk bins. Choose beeswax birthday candles or reuse ones you already have.

Snacks are easy to do package-free! Think fruits and veggies with dip and snacks from bulk bins such as pretzels and party mix. Drinks are either milk or water, served in our own glassware. We also order cheese pizza and recycle/compost the box as required by our municipality.

Decorations

Keep it minimal, choose reusable, and avoid balloons at all costs! Borrow from friends or make your own decorations with your kids leading up to the party. We have one “Happy Birthday” cloth bunting. I bought it for my oldest’s 1st birthday and now it is tradition to hang it up for everyone’s birthday! Fresh flowers, holiday ornaments, or fun things made from scraps are also really fun! Search Pinterest or ask in your local FB groups as well. Also consider borrowing dishes, cutlery, candles, cake toppers… you name it!

Dishes

We use our own plates, glasses, cutlery and cloth napkins with zero casualties so far. The kids all sit around our kitchen table and have been so good about it. We write the name of each child on their glass with a china marker. They each find their place again for cake time. At the end of the party, we load the dishwasher instead of the trash can.

Activities/Crafts

The possibilities are endless here! It really just depends on what your kids like to do, what resources you have access to, and the weather. In the past my kids have run through the sprinkler, dug holes in the backyard, played in a snow fort on the front lawn, run around the basement screaming, made Lego creations, taken turns on the electric guitar, and decorated cookies and pumpkins. There seems to be no shortage of activities that require little to no materials and don’t cost much.

Gifts 

Consider gifting an experience (such as a trip to the aquarium or movie theatre gift card) or a homemade or secondhand item. My kids are really into Lego right now and we are always able to find unopened sets on local selling apps. Wrap in fabric using the furoshiki method or reuse gift bags you already have.

Managing gifts from other people is where it gets tricky. It is really up to each family to decide how they want to approach this. We have very supportive family that does their best to give experiences, secondhand or homemade gifts. They ask for our input on new items, too. It has been many years of discussing and demonstrating our values across various contexts that got us to this place.

I am not, however, comfortable in explicitly passing these expectations on to other parents (particularly those I do not know very well). I tend to view it as the aspect that I cannot control. We manage the influx of stuff by keeping the number of guests low. Other parents I know have requested food bank donations or similar in lieu of gifts. You may even wish to request no gifts at all. Do what works for you and your child, with the expectation that it may take some time for others to understand.

Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas for Kids

Goody Bags

For our first low waste party, I came up with a list of low waste ideas for a “goody bags” and my son vetoed every last one of them. I asked him what he likes about goody bags and he replied “THE CANDY.” We compromised on jam jars of candy from the bulk store. Everyone was happy.

Other ideas for low waste party favours include:

• flower seeds or mini tree saplings
• cookies
• hot chocolate mix
• seashells
• feathers
• pencils or pencil crayons
• homemade play dough
• small toys from the thrift store
• sidewalk chalk
• nothing at all!

As far as receiving goody bags at parties, we let our children make the decision of whether or not to accept them. They always take them. Still working on that one…

In the end, all the kids were happy, so we’re happy. We want to celebrate our children without impacting their future, and normalize having a zero waste birthday party for our kids and their friends too! There is no such things as “a perfect, zero waste” party, but hopefully some of the ideas here are helpful and can be a part of your next party.