It’s Valentine’s Day next week and between the flowers, candy, and presents, it can come with a lot of plastic waste. Use some of these tips for a plastic-free Valentine’s Day.

Don’t Celebrate If You Don’t Love It

If you and your partner think Valentine’s Day is another consumer holiday or if you get anxiety thinking about what to get your partner, consider skipping it all together. Talk to your partner and see if they feel the same way. If you both agree, then treat February 14th like every other day. After all, it’s pretty hard to create extra waste if it’s just another day.

Experience Date

If you love Valentine’s Day, cool. Spend some time with your significant other…that’s what the day is about, right? Why not create memories with the one you love by going on an experience date? Here are some ideas:

• Walk along the beach
• Take a hike
• Go Ice skating
• Take a cooking class
• Cook a new dish at home
• Try Archery
• Throw Axes
• Play Bocce Ball
• Take a dance class
• Go Wine tasting
• Have a picnic

Skip the Gifts

We just finished the holiday season not too long ago. So, I’m sure you’ve already bought your partner something they already love. There’s no need to exchange even more gifts! If you absolutely must get a gift, skip the Valentine’s stuffed animals which oftentimes end up in a donation pile or in the garbage.

Choose Flower Arrangements

Skip the plastic wrap that comes with bouquets and instead choose flowers from your local grocery store that come in a reusable vase. Or you can choose a beautiful orchid or house plant which will last longer!

Foil Wrapped Chocolate

When choosing chocolates, go for foil wrapped chocolate. My favorite chocolate is Tony’s. Most chocolate is made with modern-day slave labor but Tony’s chocolate is 100% slave free. It’s also wrapped in foil and paper. You can find Tony’s chocolate at Target, Whole Foods, Lucky, & CVS.

Kid’s Valentine’s

When choosing Valentine’s Day cards for your kids to bring to school, choose non-glittery paper versions that can be recycled.

Make Your Own Cards

Even better, you can draw or print your own Valentine’s cards! I’ve designed Frozen Valentine’s cards for my daughter in the past and she loved them! Plus, it was cheaper and more personalized than buying a store bought option.

Kid’s Candy

If you want to give candy with your kid’s Valentines, choose foil or paper options like:

• Kisses
• Dove Hearts
• Fun Dip
• Nerds
• Conversation Hearts

Yes, these will usually come in a larger plastic bag, but it’s better than individually wrapped plastic candies. Also, in most of the schools I’ve seen they won’t allow homemade treats. Otherwise, that would be my next suggestion.

Pencils

For a non-candy option, consider giving a pencil. Kids are always in need of a pencil to do their schoolwork, so you know it won’t go to waste!

No Goody Bags

Finally, can we please stop sending goody bags to school for all reasons? Not just Valentine’s Day but birthdays, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas? No one needs a bag full of plastic do-dads that will just end up in the trash next week. Sending even a plastic-free bag full of non-plastic items makes other parents feel like they need to match the effort. And let’s be real, we’re all busy and don’t have time to keep one-upping each other. So, please, skip the goody bags!

What do you think? Can you follow one or all of these tips to have a plastic-free Valentine’s Day? What do you like to do for Valentine’s Day? Tell me in the comments!

For related and random posts, check out:

• 5 Tips for Starting a Garden
• 5 Tips for Plastic-Free Spring Cleaning