Illustration by Corinne Welch
Halloween is a time for spooky fun — but it’s also a season of scary amounts of waste. From plastic costumes to discarded pumpkins, the environmental impact can be haunting. But fear not! With a few simple swaps, you can enjoy a frightfully fun Halloween that’s kinder to the planet.
1. Bring a costume back from the dead
Halloween costumes are often made up of 90% plastic, and an estimated 7 million costumes are thrown away after 31st October. Instead of buying a new one this year, why not make your own, or see what you can find in a charity shop? You could swap with friends or family, or rent a costume for the night. Face paint is also a great low waste option!
2. Get creative
Why not spend a evening getting creative and making your own recyclable Halloween decorations or homemade treats? You don't need to buy plastic pumpkins! How about a paper ghost garland or an autumnal wreath? Sustainable and it will save you money! From bed-sheet ghosts to egg-carton bats, a Google search offers a faboolous array of crafty ideas.
3. Put your pumpkin to good use
A horrifying 8 million pumpkins will be thrown out after Halloween; 95% are produced just for Halloween! Don’t throw yours away - save the seeds and try growing your own for next year? There are lots of recipes online to ensure you make the most of this vibrant autumnal vegetable: you can eat the pumpkin flesh and turn it into a yummy pie or soup or some pumpkin spiced bakes. You can even roast the peel and make your own zero waste crisps! Or what about a pumpkin face mask? Gourd-geous!
4. Don’t leave your pumpkin in the woods
Feeding wildlife with pumpkin leftovers may seem like a good but it often does more harm than good. Put your pumpkin leftovers in your compost, or why not make a temporary bird feeder for your garden?! Don’t leave them in the woods as this could be fatal for animals like hedgehogs.
Jon Hawkins - Jon Hawkins – Surrey Hills Photography
Did you know?
Pumpkins left in woodlands could make hedgehogs very poorly, and it can also spread disease. Hedgehogs aren’t designed to eat lots of fruit, so the dumped pumpkin can give them stomach upsets, leading to dehydration which can be fatal. Even if the hog survives, at this time of year any illness threatens their chance of surviving winter hibernation.
Image: Nick Whittle
Bat's all folks! However you celebrate, we witch you a spell-tacular Halloween!
