Home & Garden

How to Have an Eco-Friendly Halloween

Primo Natura

Oct 14, 2023 — 2 min read

Halloween is time for fun and knocking on people's door saying 'trick or treat'. Unfortunately, what I am about to tell you is neither a trick nor treat. A 2019 study of 19 British retailers by Fairyland Trust found that Halloween celebrations generate over two thousand tonnes of plastic waste from clothing and costumes alone. Furthermore, every year, over 10 million pumpkins are grown in the UK. Of those, 95% are used at Halloween and then thrown away — creating 18,000 tonnes of food waste.

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This blog was written by Uncover, a member of the Matrix community, who created a spooktacular list of how to have a greener Halloween. The layout and introduction was written by Primo Natura.

Sustainable Decorations

When choosing decorations for your home or yard, opt for natural materials that can be composted or reused. This could include things like pumpkins, gourds, leaves, and branches. You can also make your own decorations out of recycled materials, such as cardboard boxes or old clothes.

Plastic Pumpkins

Plastic jack-o'-lanterns are a major source of waste. Instead, carve a real pumpkin or use a papercraft template. If you do use a plastic pumpkin, make sure to reuse it for future Halloween’s.

Make Your Own Costumes

Buying a new costume is a major contributor to Halloween waste. Instead, make your own costume out of recycled/repurposed materials or clothes you already have. You can also find sustainable costumes at thrift stores or online.

Costume Swap

Have a costume swap with friends, family or your local community. This is a great way to get a new costume without buying one.

Reusable Candy Containers

Use reusable containers for candy. Don't use disposable plastic bags or buckets to collect candy. Instead, use a brown paper bag or a canvas tote.

Donate Your Candy

Donate your candy. If you have too much candy, don't throw it away. Donate it to a local food bank or homeless shelter.

Donate Your Time

There are many ways to volunteer your time on Halloween. You can help set up community haunted houses, collect donations for local charities, or pass out candy to trick-or-treaters.

Candles

Use a natural candle instead of a battery-powered light for your jack o'lantern. This will help to reduce your energy consumption.

LED Lights

Use LED lights for your decorations. LED lights are much more energy-efficient than traditional incandescent lights.

Drive Less

Drive less and walk or bike more on Halloween night. This will help to reduce air pollution and traffic.

Compost

Compost your jack-o'-lantern after Halloween. This will help to reduce waste and create nutrient-rich soil. However, remove any decorative elements from the pumpkin such as candle wax, glitter, paint, or other non-organic decorations before adding it to your compost.

Halloween Crafts

Make your own Halloween crafts. This is a fun way to get creative and reduce waste.

Bonfires

Have a bonfire to roast marshmallows and tell ghost stories. This is a fun and traditional way to celebrate Halloween.

Donate

Donate to a local environmental organisation. This is a great way to give back to the community and help protect the environment.

Once again, thank you to Uncover for writing this guest blog. We wish you a Spooktacular Halloween and hope that his advice has given you some ideas before the big day.