“Total waste.” “Just trash.” “Landfill material!” These are some of the messages I received after expressing my disdain for goody bags on social media. While a few parents made exceptions for carefully chosen treats, the vast majority agreed: goody bags are an environmental nuisance.
Lately, it feels like my home is overrun. A massive Ziploc bag stuffed with sugary sweets occupies space in my kitchen. Our office supply drawer is bursting with cheap novelty pencils, erasers, and mini packs of crayons. At the bottom of my son’s toy bins lie a collection of tiny, flimsy plastic toys — all broken or missing pieces. Shockingly, most of this clutter has found its way into our home since the school year began in September — and my son hasn’t even attended a single party!
I’ve never been a fan of goody bags. For each of my son’s birthdays, I’ve carefully selected eco-friendly take-home treats, like a paper sack of marshmallows or homemade wooden bead necklaces. Sure, this may make me seem snobbish or a bit of a killjoy, but the wastefulness of typical party favors drives me insane. Almost everything my son brings home from celebrations is destined for the landfill, which is a poor use of resources and parents’ money. Up until now, I’ve just sighed and accepted it.
However, the 2020-21 school year has left me feeling increasingly exasperated. Last year, our school paused classroom celebrations due to COVID-19 concerns. While I know the kids missed their treats, I was relieved to sidestep the goody bags that often came with these events.
This year, the ban on parties has been lifted, and with it, a flood of unnecessary items. The first parent to break the ice offered donuts for their child’s birthday. But by the second celebration, someone, perhaps fueled by enthusiasm from the previous year, decided that goody bags were a must-have. Since then, every birthday seems to come with a plastic bag filled with junk: tiny slime containers, sticky hands that immediately attract dirt, and “useful” plastic bookmarks.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, my son is already dreaming up extravagant ideas for his classmates. I’m not completely against participation: we’ll join in the class card exchange, and a piece of candy might find its way into the envelope, but there will be no extra favors from us. I’m dreading the trinkets that will come home.
Can we all agree to say “enough”? In 2022, we should recognize the climate emergency we’re facing. As birthday parties and classroom celebrations return, I urge my fellow parents to stop purchasing cheap, disposable items that provide fleeting joy. This behavior perpetuates a throwaway culture and encourages mindless consumption.
Once one child hands out goody bags, others feel compelled to do the same, each one seemingly more extravagant than the last. And please, don’t simply swap the plastic junk for “green” alternatives, which are often more expensive. That packet of seeds or natural beeswax crayons is still a waste of resources and money. So, who’s with me? Let’s end the madness of party favors; if not at home, then at least in our children’s classrooms. They can enjoy all the candy and cupcakes, but let’s draw the line at junk.
If, like me, you find yourself drowning in a pile of tiny plastic toys, my friend Mia Johnson had a brilliant idea: Save the favors your child collects throughout the year and use them to fill a piñata for their own birthday. At least then, we’ll be giving those useless toys a second life. Surely, we have enough of them to last until our kids forget this wasteful tradition?
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Summary
Classroom goody bags have become an overwhelming source of waste for many families. Despite some parents opting for eco-friendly alternatives, the trend of handing out cheap, disposable items persists. As celebrations return, it’s crucial for parents to reconsider the impact of these favors on our environment and the message they send to children about consumption. Instead of contributing to the landfill with unnecessary trinkets, let’s encourage meaningful exchanges and find creative ways to repurpose unwanted items.
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