Tips for a Spooky and Sustainable Halloween
Getting ready for Halloween? From purchasing locally grown pumpkins to reusing items around your house to make decorations and costumes, here are tips to make your Halloween spooky and sustainable.
Costumes
- Organize a neighborhood swap for kids’ costumes.
- Look for costumes at your local thrift store.
- Repurpose items from your closet to make a costume. Try one of the clever costumes made with recycled or repurpose items from Waterford.org
- Use cardboard boxes to make costumes. Check out these cute costume ideas from tinybeans.
Trick-or-Treating
- Use reusable totes or pillowcases to hold candy while trick-or-treating.
- Purchase candy in recyclable cardboard packaging.
- Buy eco-friendly candy. Try one of the ideas from honestly modern’s sustainable or zero waste candy list.
- Keep plastic candy wrappers out of the recycling bin. Check locally to see if your community has a TerraCycle® drop-off collection container for candy wrappers.
Decorations. Pumpkins, and Food
- Upcycle or repurpose items around the house for decorations (e.g., paint glass bottles and add spooky labels and flowers for a quick and festive centerpiece.)
- Purchase locally grown pumpkins.
- Don’t bleach your pumpkin. Instead, use a vinegar-water mixture (10 parts water to one part vinegar) to soak the pumpkin.
- Use seasonal and locally sourced food for your party.
- Buy in bulk and limit single-use packages.
- Use reusable serveware, plates, napkins, and flatware.
- Recycle empty beverage containers and pizza boxes.
- Don’t forget to compost your pumpkin and food scraps after your Halloween party.
- Don’t place streamers, costumes, or balloons in with your recycling.