How to have a spooktacular “green” Halloween

Halloween is supposed to be spooky, but if you’re feeling creeped out by the amount of plastic used in decorations, food and costumes, never fear! We have some handy hacks to help you enjoy a fabulous green Halloween.

Create your own costume

Think you don’t have a ghost of a chance of concocting a decent costume for your kids without hitting the shops? Think again. Shop bought Halloween costumes often contain lots of plastic and are usually discarded after one use. Homemade fancy dress is a more planet-friendly choice, but you don’t have to be a whizz with a needle and thread. Check out Pinterest to see how simple black clothes, combined with face paint and a few embellishments, can be easily transformed into Spooktacular garb.

Pick your own pumpkin

Not only is it frightfully good fun, picking your own from a local pumpkin patch, rather than buying from a supermarket, will lower your carbon footprint and help out local farmers to boot.

Instead of throwing out the pumpkin flesh after carving, use it in delicious soup, pumpkin pie, or why not toast the seeds and toss them into a healthy salad? And don’t forget to pop the decaying pumpkin shell in your home composting heap or in your food waste bin so it can be repurposed.

Paint your face

Forget plastic masks, get witch-crafty and create ghoulish designs with face paint instead. You can even make your own fake blood! In a bowl, combine a cup of corn syrup with two tablespoons of chocolate syrup. Stir in red food colouring until you get the bloodcurdling colour of your desire. 

Don’t forget to wipe off face paint with your plastic-free Pura baby wipes. Perfect for cleaning messy faces, hands and bottoms, Pura wipes are designed for sensitive skin and certified by Allergy UK. 

Bake your own treats

Don’t miss a trick, instead of buying plastic-wrapped sweeties, have fun icing spider web biscuits or creepy cupcakes. For a super quick and easy spooky season treat, break a biscuit in half and sandwich the two halves together with a layer of jam and mini, white marshmallows to make a toothsome but terrifying mouth-shaped snack.  

Though trick or treating can’t take place in many parts of the country this year due to Covid 19 restrictions, these tips should help you enjoy a killer Halloween at home with the kids - safe in the knowledge that your celebrations won’t have chilling consequences for the planet.