When I was growing up, Halloween was one of my favourite holidays. You got to dress up in a costume and go around to people’s houses collecting candy.
I normally went trick-or-treating with my sister and a couple of neighbours. After we finished doing the rounds, we dumped our loot on the floor of one of our living rooms. Then, we exchanged types of candy so that we each got our favourites. There were always a few that none of us wanted, like plain chips and Rockets.
Halloween is a fun holiday for children and the young at heart, yet it’s inherently wasteful: you wear costumes and put up decorations that may not last more than a year or two, and you give out candy that’s individually wrapped, often in plastic.
Halloween is serious business: the Retail Council of Canada estimated that Canadians spent $800 million to $1 billion on the holiday in 2014. The figure has surely only increased since then.
However, it doesn’t need to be this way. It’s possible to generate less waste and still have a frightfully good time.
Tips for being sustainable at Halloween
From costumes to candy, a little creativity goes a long way when making your Halloween celebrations more sustainable.
Reuse, make or borrow your costume
The best costume is one that you already own. Consider rewearing or updating a costume from a previous year.
If you must have a new costume this year, try making your own from old clothes or thrift store finds. Alternatively, set up a costume swap with friends or rent a costume from a theatre or costume store. You never know what goodies you’ll find!
Make your own decorations
Get crafty this Halloween and make your own decorations out of materials that might otherwise be recycled or go to landfill, like old cardboard, toilet paper rolls or milk jugs. If you need some inspiration, check out this compilation of DIY Halloween decorations.
If you prefer to purchase decorations, make sure that they’re durable so that you can reuse them in future years. Consider buying items second-hand at a vintage or thrift store to avoid buying new items needlessly.
Buy your pumpkin locally and extend its life
Carving a jack-o’-lantern is a classic Halloween activity. Did you know that Canadians buy over 10 million pumpkins a year? That’s a whole lot of pumpkins!
There are a few things you can do to make this process more sustainable. Buy a local pumpkin from a farmers’ market or local farm to support local growers and reduce the distance the pumpkin travels.
Try using the pumpkin seeds and flesh in your cooking. You can roast the seeds and make baked goods like pie and muffins from the flesh. Alternatively, reuse pumpkins in other ways, such as by turning them into bird feeders or putting flowers inside.
When you’re done with your pumpkin, you can compost it (here in Toronto, pumpkins go in municipal yard waste). Alternatively, a local farm or community garden may be happy to take the pumpkin off your hands. Make sure to remove any non-organic elements like candle wax or paint before composting.
Cut down on candy waste
If you’re giving out candy, the most sustainable option would be making your own and wrapping it in a biodegradable or recyclable material. However, parents are often suspicious of homemade Halloween treats.
As a compromise, look for candy that’s fair trade and organic and has minimal and/or recyclable packaging. Consider buying less candy and giving fewer pieces of candy per child to generate less waste.
After Halloween, you can do a litter clean-up and make crafts from candy wrappers to reduce the number of wrappers that litter our streets and go to landfill.
Green your trick-or-treating
When I went trick-or-treating as a child, we did a couple of things that I didn’t even notice were sustainable: we stayed in our neighbourhood and used pillowcases to collect our candy.
Trick-or-treating within walking distance of where you live eliminates greenhouse gas emissions from driving.
Using household items like pillowcases, buckets or tote bags to hold candy, meanwhile, reuses what you already have instead of buying new plastic items (which may not last very long).
Host a sustainable Halloween party
Halloween parties are where you can safely bring out the homemade Halloween-themed treats. There are lots of ideas online for cute cupcakes, cookies, brownies and more with spooky designs.
If you’re hosting a Halloween party this year, use reusable plates, cups and cutlery. The ambience should be the only scary thing at the party, not the quantity of waste produced!
How to be sustainable at Halloween
Halloween is a holiday that’s typically centred around consumption and waste. Reusing items that you already own, making your own Halloween costumes and decorations, and choosing greener alternatives are all ways to cut down on waste, so that you can focus on enjoying the holiday!
I want to know: How do you celebrate Halloween sustainably?
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