To think that parents will pay more to be eco friendly

[mrsmacaw]

’ve been thinking of starting a small business hiring out party supplies such as plates, cups, bowls etc for children’s parties.

There is a growing trend of trying to cut down on the waste produced from single use products so I think there may be a market for it.

Obviously it would be a bit more expensive than buying disposables and a bit more hassle than just chucking everything in a bin bag at the end.

Do you think there is a need for this service?

Only if you could return them all dirty.
Problem I see is for kids it would all be plastic anyway. Unless you got enamelled tin?
But if I was paying to hire it I’d want to just stick it all in a box dirty and have you pick it up.

It's just something else to coordinate tho, along with everything else (hall, entertainer, food, party bags) - I bought disposable plastic and foil serving platters 3 years ago which are still going strong, and now dd1 is old enough for smaller parties I just used our crockery. It's a small window of whole class parties that require paper plates.

I bought loads of picnic plates in the sale do just use those. It's not a service I'd use and it's not really eco friendly if you're driving to deliver. Lots of companies all ready do it though so there must be a market for it, for larger events rather than kids parties.

I’m thinking it’s a bit like using cloth nappies maybe. It’s not for everyone but there will be a small number of people who prefer this and are willing to pay a bit more

I disagree.

The equivalent to those that buy cloth nappies for environmental reasons is people buying their own reusable party ware and passing it on when no longer needed.

Unless it’s a USP that’s only part of a much larger party package business, I don’t think it will work - I can’t imagine that in reality anyone will pay ££ just to hire plates and cups!

I really like the idea but I’m not convinced you could make a business from it. Maybe if you offered reusable decorations (bunting, paper layered, table cloth etc.) and had varying themes it’d work. That makes up a large amount of tat I find myself buying for parties never to be used again.

Even better if you put the stuff up and take it down again...

Fgs, that should say paper laterns

I wouldn't buy plastic plates etc anyway but as someone who doesnt have a dishwasher I'd pay to rent proper crockery and have someone wash it up for me. I expect I'm in the minority though

But as you say it’s just tat, Cornett. I wouldn’t pay to hire used tat, even if someone hung it up for me. It’s not expensive enough to justify farming it out, so to speak.

I forgot to add you could think about adding eco friendly decorations too that can be rented. I often think how those age banners etc could be used for so many parties as they hardly get touched

There's a waste free shop near me that offers this. Not sure if they make much from it.

You can already rent crockery, glassware, decorations and furniture for weddings and other parties. I think the only difference with kids parties is the scale but at the amount some people spend on their child’s parties I can see it being a viable idea. Would need to be nice stuff though, otherwise it won’t fly. Some of the disposable stuff is really nice.

I think it'd be something that people would talk about doing, but when it comes down to it, I think the majority would opt for as few added complications or expenses as possible to a children's party.

I would definitely use this service and am willing to pay more to reduce waste. FYI for previous posters paper plates cant be recycled if they have food on them, like pizza boxes

Not sure whether there’s much scope to make a lot from it?

We’ve had parties at 3 different church/community halls over DD’s Primary years. Hire of each venue included crockery etc.

You've got to expand from this I reckon.

If you aimed to provide an eco friendly alternative to ALL the disposable party tat, that could be a winner as you're combining more items into one service. Nobody is going to pay more for something with more hassle compared with going to Tesco, picking up some paper plates and chucking them at the end. But if you can save someone several potential trips/a lot of thinking, then they're more likely to go for the service.

So that's

Crockery/cutlery incl straws
Table linen, napkins, table protecting cloths for craft activities
Decorations - banners, alternative to balloons
Game props (pin the tail on the donkey etc?)
Maybe baking stuff like number cake/jelly moulds, cupcake cases, cocktail sticks, skewers

• All to hire

And a service to provide more sustainable party bag options. There was a great thread not long ago with ideas on the kinds of things guest children would likely keep and either use or consume (responsibly) so it didn't hang around people's houses for years or get chucked away.

If I was going to use a service like this I'd be worried about having to account for every single small item, so some reassurance that things like cake cases, napkins and so on are not necessarily the end of the world if they go missing in the general chaos, as long as most are there. Build a loss percentage into your margins.

The other concern would be hygeine - so I'd look into how you can ensure items are sufficiently clean to be used again.

• Birthday hats/party hats as well (again hygiene here - nits...)

Having just survived my child’s 7th birthday party, I wouldn’t use a service like this. I am environmentally aware and I do what I can, but this just isn’t something I’m interested in.

I think bertie is onto something though. You would need to expand on the idea and create a bigger offer than just cups and plates. I like the idea of reusable games, banners and party bags.

I think it could be costly though, as the type of people who would pay for this type of service would want more than just 50 Ikea plastic plates
And cups. I’d be expecting really nice stuff that isn’t plastic and not delivered in plastic crates either. You need to remain credible if you are starting an eco business.

You’re getting into the whole party planner thing at this point, though, aren’t you? It’s not something most people would really consider for a kid’s party, and for those who would - it’s already available.
It’s hardly a new concept?

Talk about muscling in...

I have considered this. Do it. And if you can do a deliveroo type thing on a bike.
If you add in the banners and those triangles ona string.

I am looking into starting one