Our Guide to a Green Halloween

5 minute read

• Halloween produces thousands of tons of plastic waste each year

• Eco-friendly changes to your decorations, costumes, parties, and treats can reduce your plastic waste

• You can still have fun and celebrate sustainably!

Halloween is one of America’s favorite holidays. You get to dress up, hand out (or receive) candy, and watch scary movies. Unfortunately, the scariest part of Halloween to us is the amount of unnecessary waste that comes along with it. Americans spend more than $7 billion on Halloween each year, and most of that is on cheap synthetic costumes, decorations that will just be thrown away, and candy with lots of plastic packaging.

But don’t swear off celebrating Halloween! You can still enjoy the season while making choices that lessen your impact on the planet. Below you’ll find some types to stay green this Halloween!

Decorations

• DIY -- Pinterest is your best friend when it comes to sustainable Halloween inspiration. You can find countless DIY decorations that repurpose things you have around the house, like turning toilet paper rolls into bats. 

• Natural -- Decorate with naturally biodegradable materials like pumpkins, gourds, corn cobs, hay, etc.

  Pumpkins 

Pumpkins

• Get your pumpkins and other natural decorations from a local farm. You can find pumpkin patches near you on Local Harvest.

• After carving your Jack-O-Laterns, don’t throw the insides away! Rinse the seeds off and toast them in the oven for a healthy and delicious snack. Use the pulp to make a variety of recipes, from pumpkin pie to cooking stock to pumpkin puree.

• When Halloween is over and your Jack-O-Laterns start to wilt, don’t throw them away. Instead, compost them or leave them out for the birds to feast on.

Costumes

• Avoid store-bought costumes that are made of cheap, synthetic materials derived from petroleum. They quickly fall apart and become garbage after only a few wears. They are also often made through unethical labor practices. 

• Instead, make your own costume! Borrow clothes or swap costumes with friends.

• Go to your local thrift store to find pieces that can be used for your costume and possibly incorporate them into your everyday wardrobe. 

• If you have a costume that is still in good condition, donate it to your local thrift store.

Parties

• If you’re hosting a party, use regular cups, plates, utensils, etc., instead of single-use plastic versions.

• If you have to use a disposable option, use compostable or recyclable items.

• Set out recycling bins throughout your party so your guests can recycle their bottles and cans.

Treats

• Try to find locally sourced treats to hand out, instead of mainstream candies found in grocery stores.

• If you want to go the store-bought path, consider the amount of packaging those treats have before you buy them. Hand out candies that come in cardboard boxes, like Nerds, Milk Duds, and Junior Mints.

• Think about making your own treats, like cookies!

• Hand out things that aren’t candy, like pencils, crayons, or friendship bracelets.

• Save any leftover candy wrappers to use in craft projects. 

Reuse

• Make sure to keep and reuse any decorations or supplies that you can.

• Keep your old costumes. In future years you can swap them with friends or combine different elements of them to make a new costume.

• Use a pillowcase or bucket that you already have to collect candy, instead of buying a new plastic bucket you might only use once.

We hope you have a safe, fun, and green Halloween!