According to the National Research Federation, Americans spent $10bn on Halloween in 2021. Between decorations, candy and costumes that is a lot of money going to waste, literally: many of these things end up in the trash. We have put together some tips on how to celebrate the holiday without the waste.
Whether you are dressing up yourself for a party or your kids to go trick-or-treating, Halloween can be a lot of fun. But somehow, every year, we end up spending a lot of money (often last-minute) on costumes and decorations that are rarely reused and candy that no one actually likes. Fortunately, there is a better way, and we have put together our favorite solutions to making the holiday both more affordable and less wasteful, while still having a blast.
Candy
25% of all candy-purchases in the US are for Halloween. This is probably one of the hardest elements of the holiday to make less wasteful. Manufacturers have optimized the candy for trick-or-treating: individually wrapped mini-versions of various candies are cheap, can be easily covered in Halloween-themed prints to fit the holiday spirit and because they are individually sealed, they provide a sense of protection from potential tampering. At the same time, everyone is well-aware that the massive amounts of sugar are not healthy, but no one wants to take away the joy from the trick-or-treaters. So what are the alternatives?
Green Halloween put together a comprehensive list with ideas from food items (treats) to non-food items (treasures), and healthier, still affordable, but more sustainable candy options than the triple-plastic-wrapped mega-packs from CVS that are not even that tasty. If that list did not give you the right ideas, check out Green America for additional inspiration.
Costumes & Decorations
No matter how deeply we want to get into the Halloween spirit, we can help diminish the waste that we create from throwing away things we only will use once. We suggest, you mix and match the following tips according to your needs:
Get creative with items you already have: can you repurpose a purple dress to be an eggplant, or perhaps a fluffy sweater to go as a cappuccino? More than likely, between what you have in your closet and pantry and some creativity, you can put together an outfit that will be a conversation-starter. One additional bonus is that you have an opportunity to get your creative juices flowing ahead of the holiday, increasing anticipation and fun. In addition, you are guaranteed that no one will look like you. Except if you go as a lumberjack… There are only that many checkered shirt patterns to go around.
Have a costume box: if you are a dress-up kind of person overall, having a ‘costume box’ could be a good strategy for you. Store various fun accessories and clothes there and be ready for any occasion, including Halloween.
Check out second-hand stores: not only will you get unique pieces that are probably much scarier than the freshly mass-produced stuff you will end up seeing everywhere; they are likely also more affordable and durable than the alternatives.
Optimize for durable decorations: Scarecrows, acorns, LED-lights, can be reused for many years. Avoid the single-use paper plates or spider webs (never use them outdoors, as they can be a threat to wild-life). Creating decorations as part of a crafts project done with your kids or friends can leave you with memorabilia you love to put up for years to come.
Choose biodegradable materials: replace plastics (single-use or otherwise) with biodegradable materials. It can be fun to create them yourself from things you might find in your garden or on nature outings, such as colorful leaves or hay. Get inspired here.
Exchange costumes and decorations: Why not host a Halloween-themed yard-sale in early October to swap costumes and decorations with others in your community. That way, you get to wear the lovely costume your best friend would not want to wear two years in a row anyway and you get to change up your decorations without buying anything new.
Store, sell or repurpose: if you have the space, make sure to store your costumes and decorations after Halloween so that they survive to the following October and can be used again. If you do not have the space, you can sell the decorations online or donate them to local orgs. If you are creative, some of the Halloween-themed items might actually work with little adjustment just as well as Thanksgiving or even Christmas decorations, giving you even more value from owning that specific item.
Pumpkins
Pumpkins are a staple for Halloween decorations, but did you know that Americans put around 1.3 billion pounds worth of pumpkins in the trash every year? The Halloween season is a significant contributor to that figure.
Instead, if you must use pumpkins for decorative purposes, make sure to either compost the pumpkin (remove any seeds beforehand), or bury it in your garden to enrich the soil. Read more about how to deal with no longer needed pumpkins here, and try this recipe to use the seeds from your jack-o-lantern-projects.
Did we miss something? Did you try some of our ideas? What do you think? We are looking forward to hearing from you!
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