How can I be green this Halloween?

We love Halloween, but there’s no doubt that the spooky season can cause a monster amount of waste.

According to study conducted by Environmental group Hubbub, only 20% of people consider sustainability when making Halloween purchases. Yet the equivalent of 520 elephants of plastic waste is thrown away at Halloween and 0.5kg of waste is produced per trick-or-treater. Holy poops!

The good news is you can have a spooktacular Halloween without having a ghastly impact on the planet! Read on for some killer tips.

Ghosting single use plastic (whenever possible)

Holiday celebrations like Halloween and Christmas can often involve increased purchases of single use plastic. While some of this is unavoidable, we’re big on making small changes that add up to collectively make a difference.

Take a little time to consider what you can do. For example, if you’re taking the little ones trick or treating, instead of using plastic party bags that will be discarded come Nov 1, consider repurposing household items to create bespoke Halloween bags. This could be a pillowcase, a bucket, or old even an old bag that can be decorated inexpensively.

Hauntingly good treats

Individually wrapped sweets aren’t always as eco-friendly as homemade treats but may be the best option for handing out to eager tricker or treaters. Minimise the impact by looking for goodies with minimal packaging and/or those made packaged in recycled materials. You could even check labels to see that chocolate and sugar come from sustainable sources.

For parties at home, you can make simple but gruesomely good Halloween themed treats with your child. Like these witches’ fingers or spider biscuits. They’re sure to be a favourite with guests and better for the planet than single wrapped items.

No costume drama

According to Hubbub, 83% of Halloween costumes use non-recyclable oil-based plastics and 7 million costumes are thrown out each year in the UK. 

Instead of binning last year’s outfit, consider re-wearing it this year or giving it to a friend/family member.

You could also consider making your own. It may seem daunting, but it can also be great fun. You can use worn T-shirts, tights etc and make a game of turning old clothes into costumes or parts of a costume with your kids. Get inspo here. If you/your little ones don’t want handmade, try shopping at thrift shops which often have lots of pre-loved store made costumes – some of which will have only been worn once.

Dastardly decorations

Similar to costumes, try to reuse from previous years, buy second-hand, or make your own where possible. Turn old jams jars into lanterns, make spiders from old tights. Why not try some these ideas?

If you do want to buy a few more decorations this year, try to opt for those that are good enough quality to use year after year or that are made from recyclable materials.

 Petrifying pumpkins

After Halloween, 18,000 tonnes of pumpkins are thrown away each year. If the holiday doesn’t seem complete without carving scary pumpkins lanterns, make sure you pop them in the compost bin rather than with your general waste once you’re finished with them.

Composting means you can keep organic waste out of landfill where decomposing pumpkins emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.  Simply scrub off any paint, glitter or candle wax, chop up and pop in the food compost bin.

We hope you enjoyed these tips. Happy Halloween from The Pura Team