Top tips on how you can make your Halloween eco-friendly without losing the spooky spirit
By Brian Bowe
Halloween is my favourite time of year. I mean, what’s there not to like? You decorate, dress up, and eat your bodyweight in whatever sweets you can scavenge. However, much like Christmas, there’s a side to the celebrations that people don’t tend to talk about much, and that’s all the waste the festival generates, and the negative impact it has on our planet.
You know what’s scarier than Halloween? The statistics! According to a 2019 Irish Independent article, approximately 1 million Halloween costumes are bought each year in Ireland, contributing significantly to environmental impact through the energy, water, and resources consumed during production. These textiles predominantly use synthetic materials that can take centuries to biodegrade, releasing harmful chemicals into the environment.
Even pumpkins are to blame: Global Action Plan, one of the country’s leading organisations for environmental behaviour change, estimates about 40% of the households in Ireland are paying for pumpkins every year – with each household typically ordering two pumpkins, which, when discarded, usually end up in a landfill where they release methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. So, where to start?
Costumes
Reuse and recycle: Before you think about splashing out on a flashy new costume, if you’re just going to wear it for the day, why not look through outfits left over from last year and use what you have. But if you are going to buy new, at least make sure it’s good quality material so you can reuse it in the future. Alternatively, If you have the time, why not make your own costumes — bedsheets and black plastic bin bags at the ready!
Or if you don’t feel confident in your textile abilities to start from scratch, look to modify and update outfits from previous years. Buy second-hand at your local charity shop, it’s cheap and there’s always a lot of funky variety to choose from. Better still, you could hire from costume rental companies or swap and borrow outfits and accessories with friends.
Decorations
When it comes to decorating, the advice is much the same — avoid mass-produced products and try for good quality decorations you can use year after year. Alternatively, you can get crafty:
Upcycling your LED Christmas fairy lights by adding cut-out black paper garland designs is a neat idea to create a striking and minimalist décor piece. Simply cut out spooky shapes like bats or stars from black paper/card, then attach them to the lights using clear tape. Spread the designs evenly for a balanced look. The illuminated shapes will cast spooky shadows, adding a bit of Halloween spirit to your space.
Transforming a cardboard cereal box into a spooky tombstone for your front garden can be a simple yet effective way to add to the Halloween ambiance. To start, cut the cereal box into a tombstone shape with a pointed top, slightly curved sides and a base. Next, paint the entire surface of the cardboard with grey paint to create a stone-like appearance. For added authenticity, you can use a chunky black marker to draw on cracks, weathered texture, and an eerie epitaph on the tombstone. Feel free to get creative with the design, adding details like cobwebs, moss, or even faux ivy to enhance the creepy look. Once the paint and marker have dried, you can place the homemade tombstone strategically in your front garden to give trick-or-treaters a spine-chilling surprise as they approach your doorstep.
Pumpkins
Visiting a local pumpkin patch near your home can provide a fun day out. Getting pumpkins directly from a farm or field, instead of purchasing them from a store, often means they have travelled shorter distances to reach you. After the festivities, carved pumpkins can be repurposed for various delicious dishes, such as pumpkin pie, hummus, soup, and curry, just as long as they are still in good condition. When done, compost the remains or put them in the food waste bin. And Instead of throwing away the seeds, try roasting them, or using them in a home-made crunchy granola.
Sweets
Of course, arguably the best part of Halloween are the sweets, so many sweets! Unfortunately, the vast majority of traditional Halloween sweets are individually wrapped, leading to significant waste. To avoid single-use plastic, you could buy in bulk.
Of course, if you have time, you could try making some treats yourself; there are an abundance of recipes online. And rather than sweets, trick-or-treaters might also enjoy canned fizzy drinks (aluminium is one of the most recyclable metals); fair trade chocolate bars, which are usually wrapped in paper; or rub-on temporary tattoos, which are usually cheap and a lot of them use vegetable-based dyes.
Making a few eco-friendly choices for Halloween can be easy and fun. By reusing costumes, creating homemade decorations, upcycling pumpkins, and opting for plastic-free packaged treats, we can enjoy a spooky celebration while being kind to the planet. So, let’s get creative while keeping it positively spooky. Happy haunting!
