Halloween has its roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain. It is one of the most important dates in Celtic religion and marks the end of the harvest season and the transition into winter. Traditionally, it’s believed to be a night where the boundary between our living world would become weaker, and bonfires would be lit to ward off the spirits that were now roaming freely through our world.
Today, most of us celebrate differently to the ancient Celtics – and these modern festivities, while fun, can be very environmentally unfriendly.
Indeed, the new range of spooky costumes every year, piles of ghoulish plastic decorations, and wrappers from the trick or treat sweets, all create a seriously scary amount of waste.
But fear not, here are three ways to enjoy the Halloween season sustainably while also paying attention to how much non-biodegradable waste you produce.
1. Reuse, thrift, or make your own costumes
It’s easy to click through Amazon and order cheap costumes in just a few minutes. But one of the horrors of Halloween is that, according to Waste Managed, 7 million costumes are thrown out each year.
One way to tackle the waste associated with Halloween costumes is to reuse or donate your outfits.
Instead of throwing your scary attire into the bin, see if you or other family members and friends can re-wear it the following year. If not, you can donate your costume to charity shops – they are also a fantastic place to find second-hand costumes without breaking the bank.
Are you brave enough to make your own costume? If you are, get creative and give it a go with some of the items and fabric you may already have in your home. This is not only a sustainable option but it’s cost-effective and fun for kids too.
Sites such as The Pioneer Woman share lots of easy DIY Halloween costumes for adults and children that you can put together quickly if you are stuck for ideas.
Finally, if you do not have the time or materials to create your own costume and can’t find one in a second-hand shop, consider reaching out to friends and family and arrange a swap and borrow of costumes.
2. Make use of your pumpkins beyond the Jack-o’-lantern
Each year in the UK, an astonishing 18,000 tonnes of pumpkins are thrown away, decomposing in landfills and producing methane, a harmful greenhouse gas.
Additionally, Waste Managed highlights that 40% of UK consumers buy pumpkins to use for carving, but 60% said that they don’t use the pumpkin to make any food.
Other than the stalk, every part of the pumpkin is edible, and they are a great source of vitamins A and C, iron, and riboflavin.
There are so many ways you can use your pumpkins to make tasty dishes and snacks. For example, you can use the seeds as a savoury snack either raw or roasted. October is a chilly month and as winter sets in, it’s the perfect time to use your pumpkin to make soup or warm pumpkin bread.
Take a scroll through websites like BBC Good Food that share a number of pumpkin-based recipes so that when Halloween arrives, you can make use of your pumpkins after the carving part is over!
3. Make your own treats and decorations to get into the spooky spirit
Get your family or friends involved and start cooking up your own spooky treats for the Halloween season.
According to Business Waste, the average trick-or-treater creates about 450 g of waste. Wrappings for sweets and chocolates are not usually recyclable, so bear in mind how much you and your family might be throwing away.
Furthermore, Waste Managed revealed that the equivalent of 520 elephants of plastic waste is thrown away at Halloween. Making your own treats not only reduces the amount of plastic waste your household produces, but it might be healthier and more fun too.
As well as baking your treats at home, you can help the natural world by making your own decorations. Decorations bought at shops can often be made up of single-use plastics that may be damaging to the environment.
Making your own decorations is also an easy way to save some money as according to Finder, Halloween spending in the UK is set to reach £776 million in 2024. You can use cardboard around the house to make cut out ghosts or simply use paper to make spiders’ webs to trail through your home. Always try to make sure that the materials you are using are recyclable.
And, if you are going to buy decorations, try to purchase ones that can be used year after year.
Halloween doesn’t need to produce a frighteningly large amount of waste. You can still have a great time celebrating while considering your environmental footprint.