It's party season, which often means there's a huge temptation to opt for single-use plastics for convenience and to minimise the post-party clean up. We've come up with ten top tips to make your Christmas party easily low waste and better for the Earth.
1. Buy lollies and snacks in bulk bags or tubs, not individually wrapped, to prevent packaging waste. Or better still, make your own lollies or cookies with organic ingredients and serve in eco-friendly packaging such as brown paper, cardboard boxes or glass jars.
Photo credit: Mae Mu/Unsplash
2. Re-use and up-cycle old costumes and Christmas shirts, or check out your local Buy Nothing group for unwanted costumes.
3. Invite guests to grow their own plants with homemade seed bombs or seed packets. You could even invite guests to plant their own seeds in newspaper pots to take home.
Newspaper pots are easy to make and can be used as part of a gift or party favour.
4. Compost food waste. It's tempting to over-cater during party season, and food spoils quickly in the heat too. Providing a chook bucket or Bokashi composting bin is a great way to encourage guests to compost their leftovers.
5. Use public transport or lift-share to parties to reduce your carbon footprint.
6. Use paper, wood or palm leaf plates, cups and cutlery. Many of these can be wiped and re-used if they are only lightly soiled.
Palm leaf plates and bowls look great and are great for the earth too
7. Provide responsibly sourced T-shirts or cloth bags and then invite guests to paint them with eco-friendly paints or DIY vegetable dyes.
8. Re-use or make your own plastic-free decorations using paper, cardboard and fabric.
Buy or make your own decorations from fabric or paper
9. Scented or flavoured homemade play dough is a sure winner for a kids party activity, gift or favour. Use essential oils such as peppermint or orange, or try adding cacao or ginger to your dough mix. Smells delicious and is non-toxic too.
10. Melt natural soaps and pour them into moulds for custom shapes, or purchase soap bars and custom wrap them to suit your party theme.
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