How can I reuse or recycle party poppers?

party poppersHere we are, again: New Year’s Eve.

The supermarket at the edge of our estate is selling giant packs of party poppers for 80p so come tomorrow, some households (and probably entire streets) will be covered in strings of paper and little empty plastic shells.

The obvious answer is not to get them in the first place but assuming they’ve already been popped, what are the options?

The paper is usually none too fancy – not glossy or heavily printed – so can go in the compost, or if you’ve got a lot of it, could be used as packaging for small items.

The plastic bits though – essentially a small cup with a (holed) stem at the bottom of it – aren’t quite so easily reusable. I mean, aside from fun hats for finger puppets. Can you think of anything else you could reuse them for?

Aside from that, do all have a wonderful New Year’s Eve and all the best for 2009. Oooh, and stay tuned for a vaguely Recycle This related announcement tomorrow :)

Related Categories

Christmas, household, items, paper & stationery

Search for other related items



4 Responses to “How can I reuse or recycle party poppers?”


  1. fishcake says:

    I a have kept a few for candles, if you turn then cup side up and firmly pop them into some sand or soil etc they are perfect for holding those very thin taper candles. Also the cup protects the sand from the wax making the sand reuseable several times. You could also use them for incense sticks, as the cup can catch the fine ash they drop.
    x x x Happy New Year x x x

  2. Bobbie says:

    The vision came to me of these things strung into a mobile with a few extra bits of plastic, maybe lids?, blowing in the wind.

  3. Bad Monkey says:

    Attach them around a hat to keep the flies away just like they do in Australia!

  4. Sally says:

    The streamers that come out of the poppers have some decorative uses. Drape them over stuff for party decorations.



Leave a Reply

Your name
Your email (it will not be published. If you want people to contact you, leave your email address in the message too.)
Your website (if you've got one)