Sustainable Lifestyle: A Halloween Edition

Happy Halloween season everyone!!! I feel like finally this year I can get back into the Halloween spirit. With COVID, I had very limited reasons to dress up for the past two years, so I feel ready to get back into it now!

Halloween (and honestly the many upcoming holidays this winter) can be so chaotic & fun, that we tend to become blinded to wasteful tendencies of this holiday. I wanted to bring you a quick little guide on increasing awareness of your current ways to celebrate Halloween, and see if there is anything you can tailor to become a bit more sustainable!

Below are a few common part of Halloween that I wanted to bring your attention to 🙂

Sustainable Swaps You Can Try!

1. Treats

There is no Halloween without Trick or Treating! One great way to be more sustainable is to consider what candy/chocolate you buy. Whether it’s Mars Bars, Kit Kats, or Coffee Crisps, one thing we need to do is look into the company and see what their sustainability practices look like.

Another way to source Halloween Goodies is by choosing to buy from local brands.

Here are a few goodies you can give out this Halloween:

While the wrappers of candy & chocolate contributes to a large amount of trash, I believe they are necessary to ensure children’s safety when eating the candy. There have been some horror stories to what children are given as “treats” and we don’t need to make it any harder! But we can still make sure to dispose of the wrappers properly.

Terracycle allows you to get your own Zero Waste Box which you can fill with all your hard to dispose items and send it back to them with a shipping label they provide. According to Terracycle, “the price of a Zero Waste Box is based on the current shipping and recycling costs for each material type. We understand this service may not be a fit for all customers at this time.”

If this it out of budget no worries, as there are many National Recycling Programs, which offer free recycling solutions 🙂

2. Costumes

Costumes stores like Party City & Spirit Halloween are filled to the brim with endless costumes options, a large majority being unsustainable. I would say the bulk of waste from Halloween comes down to this category. Costumes are not made with longevity in mind. They are cheap, quick to make, use synthetic materials, and typically become trash after one-wear ( or a night out of getting a little wild).

Instead of spending $70-$100 on a new poorly designed costume, put your DIY skills to the test and see what you can create!! Look to your family members & friends closets, see what you can find at thrift stores, or even sew your own ( I can’t sew but I keep saying I want to learn!

It’s true. it won’t be the flashiest or sparkly or sleek costume you may want, but I believe it makes Halloween a lot more fun. Make sure at the end of Halloween to store your costumes in a sealed bin to keep them free of mold & useable for the next years ahead.

Last year, I scoured through my mom’s halloween costume bins and decided to be a skeleton. We have had this particular costume for probably about 20 years! It is very different to the “slutty” halloween costumes I would feel obliged to wear, but I actually had so much fun because none of my friends knew who I was!!

3. Decorations

When thinking about decorations, the #1 thing to worry about it harm to biodiversity in the area. Depending on your decorations, animals could get stuck or swallow parts that will leave them in harm. Decorations like rope that recreates spider-like webs can be a big issue for this.

Additionally, single-use decorations are very popular Halloween and need to be avoided. Electronic decorations tend to die quickly, or even become faulty after a few uses. These items are very difficult to recycle as well. Inflatable decorations are made of polyester are are prone to getting holes, making them unusable. Some may try to patch up these holes, but the majority would likely not spend the time doing this.

Below are a few decorations that are sustainable 🙂

Dry Ice is incredibly sustainable and easy to use! It creates that spooky mist. Put it in a large container and you have your very own witches brew! Just make sure not to ingest it!
Leftover black garbage bags can be cut up to make decorations!
Energy efficient or solar powered lights.
Old Bedsheets that be made into ghosts, webs, “bloody” backdrops, etc.
Make leftover cardboard into a grave stones.
Create lanterns with glass jars or tins. Paint the outside as you please 🙂

An easy way to start is by checking out Pinterest and getting the creative juices flowing!

4. Pumpkins

You cannot have Halloween without pumpkins. Unfortunately, with the amount of pumpkins used & thrown out in such a short amount of time, the food waste is IMMENSE. With billions of pumpkins in the landfill, the methane released can be significant enough on green house gases and climate change.

Instead of throwing out the pumpkins, try to use every last bit of it!

Roast the pumpkin seeds in the oven. Bake the pumpkin and turn it in to a puree. Blend pumpkin into smoothies, pancakes, anything you would like. If you aren’t a big pumpkin fan like me, I find putting them into smoothies to be the best way. You can even add it in to your pet’s dishes. Ryder loves the smell of pumpkin. He is drooling when we carve pumpkins each year, he is such an odd boy sometimes hahah.

Pumpkin is incredibly healthy to eat, so don’t let it go to waste! If you see any of your neighbours or friends tossing out pumpkins, pass the message along!!!

5. Candy Bags/ Buckets

These days, I often see kids trick or treating with halloween buckets that are very cute, but made of plastic and very flimsy. They too will eventually need to be discarded.

Also why are they so small? As a kid, I would have filled up two of these due to my competitive nature. I say we all use pillowcases! You can use an old pillowcase and paint your name on it and use it each year on Halloween.

Sustainable Party Activities

Instead of gifting toys or playing games that require a lot of prep, there are so many fun ways to get the kids & adults entertained! Here are just a few ideas:

Backyard Apple Bobbing or Donuts on a String for a more COVID-friendly option.

Spooky Stories Around the Fire / on the Deck with Heaters.

A Halloween Movie with Black Popcorn. bonus if you have a projector and a large white wall so a bigger group can see!

Make Hot Apple Cider Together! *it also makes the house smell amazing!

Guess How Many ___ in the Jar. Usually it would be candy, but honestly you could use anything around the house: marbles, rocks, coins, dry pasta, etc.

And lastly…..here you go. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!