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Halloween is a fun holiday for young and old alike. So many memories are made, and we adults look back fondly on our memories of dressing up and going door-to-door for candy as we continue the tradition with our little pumpkins.
It’s tons of fun…but it also produces a ton of waste. The average trick-or-treater creates 1 pound of trash and, considering there are over 40 million children in the U.S. alone, the amount of waste produced is staggering.
The good news is, there are plenty of ways we can do our part this season and go green for Halloween. We’ve gathered 5 tips and tricks that will allow you and the kiddos to have a spooky good time while caring for our planet.
Who doesn’t love carving a jack-o-lantern? When Halloween is over, avoid disposing of your pumpkin in the garbage—gourds that end up in the landfills decompose without oxygen and produce methane, a greenhouse gas.
Instead, consider composting your pumpkin, leaving it out for wildlife to enjoy, or burying it in your yard. Some farms will also accept pumpkin donations, as they can be fed to chickens and pigs.
People often assume candy wrappers cannot be recycled…not so! Environmental company Terracycle offers zero-waste boxes specifically for candy wrappers. Simply order a box for your family, fill it with all those candy wrappers, then use the included pre-paid shipping label to send it back to the company where your wrappers are recycled and used to make park benches.
According to the environmental charity Hubbub UK, more than 2,000 metric tons of plastic waste are created from Halloween costumes.
Before you run out to buy a plastic-laden costume, take a look through your closets and see if you can DIY a costume, or reuse one from a previous year.
We all know how detrimental plastic bags are to the environment—according to the Centers for Biological Diversity, Americans use 100 billion plastic bags each year, which require 12 million barrels of oil to create.
Avoid Halloween-themed plastic sacks and instead opt for an eco-friendly canvas bag. You can even make decorating the bag part of your Halloween tradition.
There’s no reason your party can’t be environmentally friendly…it just requires a bit of creativity and little DIY skill. Skip the plastic decorations and let your inner crafting goddess run wild. The internet is full of fun tutorials on how to make your own yarn webs, spooky cardboard silhouettes, and cardboard box headstones.
Avoid plastic cups and utensils at your event—use regular glasses and plates or opt for biodegradable paper or bamboo versions.
It is possible for you and your friends and family to enjoy a spook-tacular Halloween while still taking care of the planet. Let’s do our part to keep our community healthy this year by reducing our plastic consumption and making small changes that can have a big impact on our planet.
Happy Green Halloween!
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