Party bags are a must at most parties and kids love them! However in this “consume me” age, children’s party bags are all too often an environmental disaster zone!

Plastic bags (which are suffocation hazards for both your child and wildlife – not to mention the amount of time they take to degrade) filled with cheap little plastic toys (which are easily broken, unloved and thrown in the dustbin by the time you get home) and chocolate or sweets full of e-numbers. What a waste!

The added pressure of keeping up with the Jones’s also tends to set parents up to think of the best party bag toys , which often ends up increasing plastic waste, raising budgets and blood pressure levels.

The good news is there is now an abundance of opportunities for imaginative and simple ways to incorporate a few creative items in to your party bags that will go a long way to make a big difference – plus it is a great example for our children and sets them up to naturally think creatively about how they can incorporate the mantra of the 3 R’s into their life - reduce waste, re-use what they have and recycle more - incase you were wondering!

Choose a cotton drawstring party bag , which is fantastically useful after the party for jigsaw puzzles or small toys or if your budget doesn’t stretch to that, choose paper party bags which can be recycled after the party and secure them with our reminder sticker printed with “Please Recycle Me!” which come free of charge with our paper party bags!

Choose a couple of toys which are made from sustainable wood and painted in non-toxic paints, how about a lovely wooden bracelet , some hair slides and hair bands for girls and a traditional wooden train set and whistle for boys? Add a character pencil and a slice of cake to create a party bag which is eco-friendly and fun… but still affordable!

If your children are older and past the age where a wooden whistle or clown car will do, how about choosing a recycled A6 notepad and pencil made from recycled cd cases, or a pencil case made from recycled car tyres ? Not only does this pave the way for children to think about where products come from, but it also shows them a real example of what fun products can be made when they make the effort to recycle, and spreads the message into schools through their friends.

Due to the mounting piles of plastic waste now seen just about everywhere, it’s no longer about quantity where party bags are concerned… but quality and sustainability.

So make an effort to be thoughtful when setting the example for our children and think in terms of future gain – lets set the trend for sustainable, eco-friendly and ethical party bags!

Also, why not involve your child in halping to make their own party bags using recycled material. See our latest article 'Make Your Own Party Bags.'