4 Tips To Keep Halloween Sustainable for the Planet

Halloween is a fall favorite, but it can also generate a ton of waste! We have tips to keep your tricks and treats more sustainable this year.

1. Costume Swap

Halloween costumes are costly, for your wallets and for the planet. One 2019 U.K. study found that over 2,000 pounds of plastic trash were generated from Halloween costumes, just in the U.K.! That’s because most store-bought costumes come packaged in single-use plastic packaging and most costumes are also predominantly made from plastic. Plastic fibers are often used to make halloween costumes, which makes them easy to damage, and easy to waste. Most store-bought halloween costumes get used once, and then end up in landfills. This halloween find a group of friends or family and opt for a costume swap. Bring back old favorites from years prior and give them new life. Your wallet and the planet will thank you.

2. Upcycle

Upcycing for Halloween is a great way to cut back on waste. You can upcycle old clothes and fabrics to turn into costumes (cutting up t shirts or sheets for kid ghost costumes, writing on old t-shirts to turn them into your dream costume) and you can upcycle tons of items for Halloween decor. Cardboard is great material to upcycle for decorations and even costumes. With some paint and creativity your Amazon box might be your best Halloween costume yet.

3. Invest

If you absolutely must have a new Halloween costume, no worries. Build your costume out of pieces you know you rewear or reuse for a long time. That means investing in pieces that aren’t just for Halloween, but instead are new wardrobe staples. This way you can keep your costume items for longer with no need to throw anything away

4. Candy Waste Solutions

One of the biggest culprits of Halloween waste is also one of the best parts of Halloween, candy. When it comes to Halloween candy it’s hard to find many truly sustainable options. Of course do your best to find paper, foil or cardboard packaged candy but for everything else candy wrappers are notoriously difficult to recycle. Most are flexible plastic that is rarely recyclable but if you have avid trick or treaters in your house, TerraCycle’s snack and candy zero waste box might be able to help. They are a bit expensive, so see if you and a neighbor or two can split a box and collect all your wrappers to have recycled.

Follow these tips for a fun and planet-friendly Halloween!