Children’s parties have been on our radar for a long time. Anyone who has picked up a child from a birthday party knows the scene: a plastic party bag stuffed with bits of plastic that are broken or forgotten by teatime, then on to the bin. Add the pile of new presents, balloons and single-use plates, and one afternoon of fun can leave a surprising amount of waste behind it.
So over the last few years we’ve been working on this, step by step.
Where we’ve got to so far
We joined the Party Kit Network, a national network of community groups lending out reusable party tableware so families don’t have to buy disposable plates and cups for every celebration. That grew into our own reusables project and then into Plastic Free Party , where you can hire reusable party kits, jugs and bunting.
Most recently we’ve been developing plastic-free party bags and full themed party kits: a base kit of plates, bunting and tablecloth, with nature- and ocean-themed activities and take-home bags. The idea is that a planet-friendly party should be easier for busy parents, not harder.
Better together
What we love most at Eco Communities is when someone gets in touch and it sparks something new. Seeing our newsletter connect people and projects never gets old. Amanda contacted us to ask whether we could help, as she’d signed up to host a Big Toy Swap in Chester. That one message introduced us to a whole organisation already working in exactly this space. We’re always better working together, and this is a perfect example.
Meet No Crap Parties
No Crap Parties is run by Party Pact CIC, a fellow community interest company. Their Kids Party Pact asks parents to sign up to help normalise more affordable, less wasteful gifts and party bags: pre-loved, homemade and experience gifts, or even no gift at all. Their message is to “let other parents off the hook”, because the pressure to spend big on every party invitation hits family budgets as much as it hits the planet. They’re aiming for 10,000 parents to sign the pact, so there’s enough collective weight to push retailers and policymakers towards better options.
It’s free and anonymous to sign. If this has ever felt like an awkward conversation to have with other parents, this is a great way to know you’re not alone. Sign the Kids Party Pact.
The Big Toy Swap
This November, No Crap Parties is coordinating the Big Toy Swap: community-run swaps across the country, with the ambition of rehoming 100,000 toys before Christmas. They estimate that hundreds of millions of toys are bought in the UK each year, and most of them eventually end up as waste. A swap gives perfectly good toys, games, puzzles and books a second life, and saves families money in the run-up to Christmas. The Big Toy Swap is supported by the National Lottery Community Fund.
The approach is refreshingly simple: bring what you can, take what you need. No tokens, no one-for-one counting.
Two swaps in Chester this November
Amanda has registered both of Chester’s swaps with No Crap Parties, and we’re supporting the Hoole event.
📍 Mill View Primary School, Wealstone Lane, Upton, Chester CH2 1HG
🗓️ Tuesday 10 November 2026
📍 Hoole Community Centre, Chester
🗓️ Sunday 22 November 2026, 2pm–6pm
We’ll be collecting toys beforehand so there’s plenty to browse when the doors open, and so we can check everything is in good condition. Details of drop-off points are coming soon.
At the moment these are the only swaps in the area. Could you host one? Schools, PTAs, toddler groups, churches, cafés and workplaces can all run a swap. Register directly with No Crap Parties to get their free host resource pack, then let us know. We’ll help where we can and promote your swap alongside ours.
We’d love your help
Here’s an honest admission: none of our current team has young children. We can bring experience in reuse, events and circular living, but this area really needs people who are living the reality of children’s parties, school gift lists and toy mountains.
So we’re looking for parents, grandparents and carers who would like to help develop this area of our work with us. That could mean helping on the day at Hoole, collecting toys, testing our party kits and party bags, or shaping what comes next. We’re delighted that Amy from 1st Guilden Sutton Cubs has already been in touch too.
If that sounds like you, get in touch at office@sustainablecheshire.uk or message us on Instagram or Facebook @ecocommunitiesuk.
Three things you can do today
- Sign the Kids Party Pact.
- Put Sunday 22 November, 2–6pm in your diary and start setting aside toys your children have outgrown.
- Next time you’re planning a party, have a look at Plastic Free Party for reusable kit hire and soon plastic-free party bags.
Fewer things, more fun, and better together. That feels like a pretty good present to us.
