Daniel Stokes

Oct 25, 2021

In 2019, it was estimated that brits spent £474m on Halloween. This is more than double the amount spent in 2016, with that figure coming in at around £230m. Inevitably, such a rise in spending comes with a huge increase in waste. Here, we are looking to explore ways in which you can reduce your waste and the impact on the environment, during the Halloween season.

Decorations

Decorations don’t have to be purchased year on year. Instead, many are now choosing to use everyday items to spook up their households. For example, tin cans, bin-bags and egg cartons (together with a little bit of inventiveness), can all be re-used to create fantastically unique Halloween decorations.

Get creative with these spooky suggestions.

Pumpkins

10 million pumpkins are grown in the UK every year, with 95% of them being hollowed out and carved.

Depending on the variety and apart from the stalk, every part of a pumpkin can be consumed. Pumpkins made up of 90% water, making them extremely low in calories! With Halloween typically being a time of year where you may consume one too many treats, pumpkin can be easily used as a healthy alternative.

60% of people say they do not eat their pumpkins, meaning a huge amount of good food is unnecessarily disposed of.

There are many great recipes out there, showing you how to make the most of your pumpkin remains. A few examples can be found on the BBC foods top 20 suggestions.

If you are not a fan of pumpkin pie then the remains of your pumpkin can be composted, or if it is feasible, taken to a wooded area to be left for animals to consume (wildlife love pumpkin).

When leaving your pumpkins for the animals, please ensure to remove any non-edible decorations or candle wax.

Treats

Be mindful of the sweets you buy. Try to choose those treats with eco-credentials, the least packaging or those with recyclable wrappers. This will help to reduce the ‘hard to recycle’ materials ending up in the waste stream.

Use Eco-Friendly Bags

Steering clear of plastic use where possible is always going to help the environment. So, when trick-or-treating, avoid buying plastic buckets or bags to keep your treats in. Instead, get the kids to make their own cloth bags, or perhaps use a paper alternative. They could even have fun sprucing up an old pillowcase and using that!

Don’t Buy New

According to Channel Mum, in 2017, 94% of families planned on buying new Halloween outfits.

Of course, there’s always a natural desire to purchase the ‘shiny new toy’, especially for the kids! But think about whether it’s really necessary to not only spend the extra money, but also increase the amount of waste being produced by items like costumes and decorations.

We’ve touched on using household items to create your masterpieces, but simply re-using last years’ perfectly good items can also be of huge benefit.

Think about mixing & matching or simply swapping with friends. Maybe set up a Facebook or WhatsApp group, where you can all discuss ideas or exchange last years’ costumes. Children get just as much fun by getting to dress up in something different, but money spent, and waste produced is vastly reduced.