From tiny plastic toy favors that fill your junk drawers to juice boxes that get tossed, the “stuff” of family parties can create a lot of waste. And while reaching zero waste might stay a someday-goal, reducing throwaways while amping up your parties is totally doable.

“Making an effort is half the battle,” says Christa C. Dunlap, program director at California State University of Northridge’s Child and Family Studies Center. She runs the Lab School preschool on campus, where she reuses and repurposes materials as much as possible—from turning the university’s scrap into drawing paper to composting leftover snacks. “You’re teaching how to take care of the planet and think sustainably from a very young age,” she says. Here’s how to