How To Have A Sustainable Halloween
The kids love Halloween and we do some really nice stuff together as a family around this time of year. However, I’ve been thinking about how Halloween is also one of the most wasteful celebrations of the year. So I’ve spent some time looking into ways of having a more sustainable Halloween.
How To Have A Sustainable Halloween
Sustainable Halloween Costumes
Long gone are the days when ‘if’, you dressed up it was a bin liner and a passed down witches hat, or a pillowcase over your head with eyes cut out. Now we are encouraged to buy a new costume for the kids each year. Not only that, it’s not like other costumes where they can hopefully get lots of wear out of them. You are restricted to one day of the year if you opt for a specific Halloween themed one.
“It is estimated around 7 million Halloween costumes are disposed of each year in the UK.
Creating 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste this year” Telegraph
Instead you can….
-
- Look in charity shops
- Search online local selling pages
- Have a look on ebay – if you order now then they will still arrive in time
- Keep costumes and pass them down to younger siblings or friends
- Swap with local families
- Get creative and make your own
- Use what you already have.
- If you have got a costume you no longer need, please don’t put it in the bin. Instead, sell It or donate it.
I’ve created a sustainable Halloween Pinterest board full of ideas, including easy handmade outfits.
Sustainable Halloween Party
This year you may be throwing a lower-key Halloween party, but you can still make it sustainable.
- Bake your own biscuits and sweets – Check out our easy to make Halloween marshmallow pops
- Get chocolates wrapped in foil
- Opt for cardboard wrapped treats like smarties
- Have raisins in boxes
- Or you could even put some fruit out.
When it comes to Halloween decorations to be more sustainable you can….
- Reuse your old decorations, keep them in a box similar to your Christmas ones and reuse each year
- Make your own – check out my sustainable Halloween Pinterest board for easy ideas
- Buy second hand from charity shops or online
- For any battery-powered decorations, use reusable batteries.
Pumpkin Time
If you can, grow your own pumpkins, it’s fun and better for the environment. We have been growing some in the allotment.
Or if you have a local Pick your own farm, it’s a great way to support your local businesses and also a fun activity to do with the kids.
However, Don’t Waste Your Pumpkin Flesh as shockingly;
‘The UK will bin 8m pumpkins after Halloween, the equivalent of enough pumpkin pie to feed the entire nation, research has found.’ The Guardian
Instead make ….
- Pumpkin soup
- Pumpkin pie
- Roast your pumpkin seeds
Check out my Sustainable Halloween Pinterest board full of ideas.
You can also compost your pumpkin flesh. Don’t have a compost, see if anyone local has a community one you can use.
For us, Halloween is all part of Autumn and the change of seasons. If you make it about experiences rather than items like the plastic spiders and costumes and more about picking pumpkins, baking and crafting then you will easily have a more sustainable Halloween.
Why not check out my Embracing Autumn list of ideas.
