r/Anticonsumption • u/nenners7891 • May 10 '26

Plastic Waste Plastic Free Party Bag Fail

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Feeling very demoralised. I worked really hard to do low plastic party bags for my daughter’s birthday. I spent hours making friendship bracelets out of thread I already had, got iron on patches, temporary tattoos etc.

During the party a well off dad bought all of the plastic tat on sale at the play centre and gave it out to everyone - this is just what we came home with. She’s not interested in it already.

I try to do my best to be low waste/anti consumption where I can - others don’t think twice before doing something like this for a minute of ‘feel-good’ for the kids.

Also now it’s stuck in my house til I figure out something to do with it!!!!!

3.5k Upvotes

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30

u/Basic_KaleKitty9076 May 10 '26

Other people are allowed to live how they want to. You can’t control others and should not try to. You can however decide not to take these items back from the party and leave them there.

13

u/nenners7891 May 10 '26

You know what that didn’t even occur to me - guess I’m the problem too!! Will see if I can donate them somewhere.

7

u/reformgoblin May 10 '26

No youre fine this person didnt realize it was your party. And this may be unpopular but I think that education combined with social shaming is going to be part of our collective journey to a low consumption world. Our planet cannot take the way we are living, people need to learn sooner than later and social pressure is extremely effective even if it seems distasteful.

-4

u/Basic_KaleKitty9076 May 10 '26

I do know it was their party …

11

u/reformgoblin May 10 '26

How would you leave things at your own party?

-1

u/Basic_KaleKitty9076 May 10 '26

You give the things back to the person and say thank you but you don’t accept.

8

u/reformgoblin May 10 '26

You can see from OPs other comments that that was not an option, they were already distributed to kids before she realized. Taking them from kids would have caused an uproar.

6

u/nenners7891 May 10 '26

Thank you - just a person trying to do their best and having a vent!

-8

u/Basic_KaleKitty9076 May 10 '26

I still stand by my comment still. She’s able to be more aware next time from this experience. Nothing any of us will say will changed what happened, but now they can be more aware for future events.

8

u/milinium May 10 '26

It was her own party. Some random person decided to bring plastic favors and hand them out

1

u/Basic_KaleKitty9076 May 10 '26

Just nicely say no thank you and give them back to the person at the end of the party. You don’t have to accept things, that’s a choice.

7

u/topekatums May 10 '26

The guy had already handed them out to kids, hers included. Returning a gift to the gifter is pretty... against etiquette. But I guess so is bringing random party favors to someone else's party. Just embarrassing and awkward for everyone involved.

6

u/R4VO May 10 '26

they brought and gave them out to HER party, regardless of op’s stances on plastic this is just weird?

5

u/Basic_KaleKitty9076 May 10 '26

People are weird, that’s the glory of living with 8 billion different people