Natural and Eco-friendly Easter basket ideas Kids will Love

The Easter holiday celebration is coming up, so I have put together some eco-friendly Easter basket ideas to help reduce your waste whilst still having so much fun.

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How can we make Easter eco-friendly?

With the spring season upon us, I wanted to talk about Easter. Easter is one of those holidays where we get over-excited and consume more than we need to, and I’m not talking about food!

Sustainability usually goes out the window and there are many ways we can make our Easter holiday more eco-friendly. These include buying eco-friendly Easter decorations, eating fair trade chocolate, using reusable Easter baskets and planning your Easter meal carefully to reduce food waste.

I know the Easter bunny tradition is massive in the USA and is becoming much more popular in the UK so when I had my two children I started these Easter traditions in my family. They love Easter baskets, an Easter egg hunt and the Easter bunny!

I wanted to share my ideas and tips with you so you can see how I plan on making the Easter basket tradition in my house as eco-friendly as possible.

Hopefully, this will inspire you to have a more eco-friendly Easter too.

Natural and Eco-friendly Easter basket ideas for the whole family!

What can I use for an eco-friendly Easter basket?

Easter baskets don’t have to be brand-new plastic buckets in the shape of sheep or chicks that we see in the shops each year. Let’s try and avoid buying new plastic items altogether and opt for being kinder to the earth this Easter.

Here are some great eco-friendly Easter basket ideas:

Secondhand/Thrift Store Easter Baskets

Going to the local charity shop or local thrift stores is a great option for eco-friendly Easter baskets. There will be an array of baskets, buckets and pots that you could use for your basket but you have to use your imagination. It will also be a lot cheaper too. Bonus!

Upcycled Easter Baskets

You can upcycle any type of container, for example, repurposing a flower pot or even upcycling a plastic milk bottle. This can also be a fun way to get the kids involved if they like arts & crafts and to give items around your home a new life.

Reuse your Easter baskets

Reuse something you already have at home. This could be the woven basket you already have lying around the house, maybe you have last year’s Easter basket in the cupboard you can pull out to use again. I bet there is something at home you can dig out to use.

Remember, it is super important we try to reuse things we have at home before we purchase something new.

DIY Easter baskets

If you don’t have anything and would like to buy a new basket, you could try purchasing a reusable fabric basket. These can be made from natural materials like organic cotton or linen. Or maybe a fabric basket used for storage.

These baskets can be used year after year, and they can be easily washed and stored.

Cotton rope storage basket

Rope woven storage baskets

Brown baby hamper baskets

Another eco-friendly option is purchasing a woven basket. These baskets are usually made from natural materials like bamboo or wicker and can be used for storage after the Easter holiday is over.

Rattan storage baskets

Oval wicker baskets

Handmade kid’s wicker basket

Alternatively, if you want to buy a new Easter-themed basket you can reuse it year after year.

Here are some great examples you can purchase from Amazon.

Fabric Easter candy baskets

Canvas Easter bunny baskets

Easter bunny basket DIY sewing kits

What can I put in my Easter basket instead of grass?

If you’re one of those people who love to add easter grass to your basket there are eco-friendly options other than the usual fake plastic grass we see.

You can simply use shredded brown paper, from bags or wrapping paper you have already lying around the house. Straw or hay is another great idea which isn’t very expensive either and can be picked up from the local pet shop!

Or grow your own real grass? A little cheat for growing your own grass here!

If you don’t have time for DIY projects, don’t worry there are some quick and easy eco-friendly options here:

Eco grass for Easter baskets

100% recyclable tissue paper

Natural shredded kraft paper

What can I use instead of plastic Easter eggs?

Most of us will include some sort of sweet treats or chocolate eggs in our Easter baskets. If I’m being honest Easter wouldn’t be the same without a few chocolate eggs. If you’re like me though and live with some intolerances there are some great alternative Easter candy options out there. Like these Moo-free chocolate eggs!

You can also try to buy organic and fair-trade chocolate over the Easter period. Fairtrade helps businesses source products that are ethically and sustainably produced. Local health food shops will also sell this type of chocolate if you want to support local businesses.

But I get it, for some people, for whatever reason chocolate just isn’t an option.

When chocolate isn’t an option the go-to replacement is usually plastic eggs filled with non-chocolate Easter basket gifts. What a great alternative. But there is still one problem! The plastic. Unless you have saved your plastic eggs from last year of course!

Instead of buying new plastic eggs to fill with plush toys, try eco eggs made from natural materials like paper or wooden easter eggs like these hollow wooden eggs. These can be filled with wooden toys or used for eco-friendly decoration.

Other great additions could be:

Jelly beans

Chocolate bunnies

Real egg decorating

Puzzle pieces

Eco-friendly toys

Gift cards or a board game for older children

Try to avoid:

Individually-wrapped candies

Single-use toys

New plastic easter eggs

The Easter egg fillers are another way to add greener options to your Easter baskets. Related post you will also love:

50+ ECO-FRIENDLY EASTER EGG FILLERS YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE

What can I use for eco-friendly Easter basket decorations?

Decorations for your Easter baskets are important and if you’ve ever made one you will know how much you’ll want it to look pretty (with an Easter theme)!

You can also use real eggs! Paint them and pop them in your basket for decoration. Natural dyes are another great way to paint those eggs, whilst being kind to the planet.

You can also use fresh flowers for the perfect addition to an Easter basket. Or anything you already have lying around the house that you think would fit well, just add it in!