I'll start by saying we're really not big Halloween people, the children like to decorate the house and do spooky crafts but we don't do Trick or Treat or anything else. The eldest likes to dress up at home but they don't have any interest in going out and don't like Trick or Treaters to the house. But if you're an all-out, full-on, American-style Halloweener then you do you!
Obviously, as with any holiday it easy to be swept along in festivities and not always think about the impact of what we are purchasing and if we truly need it or could approach it a different way, along with what chemicals/plastics we are inviting into our homes.
With these eco-friendly, low-waste Halloween ideas, you can have a fun, memorable holiday without creating a negative impact on the planet.
So here’s my Top Tips to get you started…
Decorations:
Stay away from plastic poundland junk where you can. Decorations can be kind to the environment while still setting the right atmosphere for the spookiest night of the year.
I’m a last-minute decorator, as you can probably tell by the fact that I’m posting this on Halloween morning. Most of my highly organised neighbours transformed their homes into spooky spectacles last week or even before, but apart from a few pumpkins ours remains unspooktacular.
Here are some ideas that you can use, too, should you find yourself in a similar last-minute decorative pickle.
Pumpkins
Pumpkins, squashes, gourds are great for decorating as as long as you have a plan for them they are a great plastic free option. After the celebration, most are sent off to landfills where they release methane. This dangerous gas traps heat in our atmosphere 25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide.
To keep waste and dangerous emissions minimal, you can buy pumpkins from local businesses or organic farms instead of supermarket variants grown with toxic fertiliser. Find a local farm and make a day out of choosing the perfect pumpkin. 🎃
Leave no leftovers by consuming the pumpkin, even the seeds! Why not make a yummy pumpkin soup for those colder days, If there are any pumpkin leftovers, you can pop them into the compost heap. Both these are simple yet effect methods for closing the loop of Halloween pumpkin waste.
Easy Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
1-2 pumpkins , 1 onion , 1-2 garlic cloves , 1 stock cube , 1-2 pints of water
Step 1
Place peeled pumpkin, onion, garlic, broth/stock and water into a pot;
Step 2
Boil rapidly for 15 minutes until pumpkin is very tender;
Step 3
Use a stick blender or transfer to blender to blitz smooth; and add salt and pepper to taste, then add either a milk OR cream – whichever you prefer. We would use oat milk or coconut cream.
Lighting
Paint glass jars black and put tea-lights inside. Line the pathway to your house with them. Opt for LED candles instead of traditional ones for a safe and eco-friendly glow.
Spider Webs
Use natural twine to create a web between trees or around your doorway.
Ghosts & Scarecrows
Make a ghost by stuffing a towel in a white sheet you've already got, tying with twine, and hanging in a tree or near a door. Make a creepy scarecrow with old/tattered clothing and a pumpkin head.
Signs
Kids love warning signs of danger ahead. Paint your own creepy message on a wooden board or old cut up cardboard box. The more rustic, the better! Paint a large kraft-paper banner with orange and black paint that can hang over the door. You can also turn boards into fake gravestones.
Bats
Cut out black paper bats and hang upside down on twine in trees or bunting style. Pinterest is your friend as always!
Double-duty decorations
See what you can use from other seasonal decorations you may have, i.e. black and orange tree ornaments. You can even decorate old wine bottles.
Natural decorations
Add a dash of nature by incorporating autumn leaves, pinecones and twigs into your decorations.
Music
Don't underestimate the power of music! Set up a speaker near the door and play a scary Halloween soundtrack from YouTube. Look for Harry Potter-type music or Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D minor on organ.
Trick-or-treaters
Purchase sweets in cardboard boxes if you can because those can be recycled at least. Buy in bulk to avoid excess outer packaging. If you’ve got kids going trick-or-treating, send them with a reusable cloth bag or a pillowcase. These can be decorated to match their costume.
P.S. Zero waste Scotland have some excellent ideas for crafty decorations with less waste!
Costumes:
Dressing up is at the heart of any good Halloween party or trick or treating expedition. The most sustainable costume is the one you already own but if you’re looking to shake things up then try raiding your wardrobe for any old or unworn items that, with a little crafting magic, could be transformed into a parade-winning outfit. Local second-hand shops are costume hunting treasure troves at this time of year too, we got our daughters witch costume from a charity shop 2 years ago so its now on its 3rd Halloween and unless she has a series of massive growth spurts it will probably still fit next year too. You could also swap with friends or see if any parents you know have older children who could pass too small costumes down to your kids.
According to Save your Wardrobe, “7 million Halloween costumes are thrown out every year, this is equivalent to 83 million plastic bottles, most of which will end up in landfill. Just in the UK, around 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste is generated from people throwing away their Halloween costumes”.
Follow these tips to create a Halloween gathering that’s not only frightfully fun but also gentle on the environment! 🍂 Remember don't be too harsh on yourself when it comes to trying to produce zero waste - it doesn't happen overnight but every little bit helps.
Hope you have a safe and spook-tacular Halloween! 👻🎃💀
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