Halloween itself is not inherently unsustainable, but certain aspects of the way it is celebrated are not very planet-friendly. For example, a shocking 7 million Halloween costumes are thrown out every year - that is the equivalent of 83 million plastic bottles! Unfortunately, most of this will just end up in landfill. To us this is the scariest part of Halloween!
Plus, it is not just the costumes that are an unsustainable aspect of the festivities, it is also the decorations, party supplies, excessive energy use and sweets. Also, these do not come at a small expense to the consumer - this year, US consumers are expected to spend an all-time high of $10.14 billion on Halloween-related items and we're not too far behind in the UK either. It is fair to say that Halloween encourages over consumption and waste - and whilst we're not suggesting that all festivities should be banned, it's more about encouraging people to celebrate the holiday in a more planet-friendly way. Plus, we think sustainable costumes, decorations and sweets look even more fa-boo-lous (whilst saving you a pretty penny)!
If you want to have a sustainable Halloween, but don't really know where to start - then fear not, we are here to help!
Firstly - Sustainable Halloween Costume Ideas:
The costumes are responsible for the biggest carbon footprint at Halloween - so rather than buying mass-produced products that take a lot of resources to manufacture, you could..
1. Invest in quality costumes, and then re-use, re-use, re-use. Want to dress as something different from the year before? Why not swap with a friend or attend/host a costume exchange!
2. Make a costume or make your own accessories (every little helps!), or if you don't feel confident in your textile abilities to start from scratch, modify and update outfits from previous years.
3. Hire costumes - hiring clothes is super trendy at the moment, and this is hardly surprising as it enables you to look amazing for a fraction of the cost. What is not to love!
4. Buy second hand! Charity shops always have Halloween options or clothes you could repurpose into Halloween costumes. What's even better is that once you have rocked your costume, you can donate it back to the charity shop so someone else can rock it next Halloween! (TopTip - don't leave it last minute, all the best stuff will go!)
(Image Source: Pexels)
Secondly - Sustainable Halloween Decoration Ideas:
When it comes to decorating sustainably, our advice is similar to the above - avoid mass-produced products and opt for quality decorations you can use year after year. Alternatively you can make your own decorations out of household products, hire decorations or buy them second-hand.
When it comes to pumpkins, we understand that they are an important part of Halloween and decorating them is super fun - we, of course, don't want to stop you from enjoying this tradition, but we do have some tips to make pumpkin carving more planet-friendly! After all, the tradition to carve pumpkins is to frighten away evil spirits, not to frighten future generations, so...
1. Buy your pumpkins from local grower/ farmers' markets.
2. Make use of the whole pumpkin, to avoid unnecessary waste - keep the flesh and the seeds (there are so many exciting pumpkin recipes out there!).
3. If you do not like the idea of eating pumpkin, you could donate your leftover carved pumpkins (e,g to zoos and animal shelters) or compost them.
(Image Source: Pexels)
Thirdly - Sustainable Halloween Treat Ideas:
Of course, for both adults and children alike, arguably the most exciting part about Halloween is the sweets! Unfortunately, the vast majority of traditional Halloween sweets are individually wrapped, leading to significant unnecessary waste. To avoid single-use plastic, you could...
1. Buy in bulk to avoid extra plastic.
2. If you have time, you could try making treats yourself (you can package them in brown paper bags, instead of plastic!).
(Image Source: Pexels)
We wish you all a Happy and Sustainable Halloween!
Enjoyed reading this and want to know more about how to live sustainably? Why not read...
Sustainable 'Back to School' Essentials
P.S - we have some really cool (and sustainable) Bat Socks which are a perfect match for your Halloween outfit!
