Halloween Sustainability

Ghosts, goblins, and ghouls, oh my! These creatures are scary and can give you terrifying nightmares, but what’s more terrifying than these spooky Halloween creatures? All of the waste produced during the Halloween season.

Research from Hubbub and Fairyland Trust has shown that waste produced from Halloween costumes and clothing alone generates over 2,000 metric tons of waste. You may think that one of the biggest producers of plastic waste is from candy wrappers, but many costumes also include non-biodegradable and oil-produced plastics. Awful, right? So, how can you help our environment this Halloween season? Well, there are many easy things that you can do to help lower the amount of waste you, friends, and family may produce. Here’s how you can help:

● Reuse costumes and/or produce homemade costumes. By making a costume out of items of clothing you already have, you are putting less non-biodegradable plastic into our environment. Also, consider buying costumes with items of clothing that can be worn in everyday life or in multiple costumes. By doing so you’re not only getting a cute costume for this Halloween and many Halloweens to come but also cute attire for your normal wardrobe.

● Use a reusable bag for trick-or-treating; DO NOT USE A PLASTIC BAG! Plastic bags are detrimental to our earth and life on our planet, so do not use a plastic bag when trick-or-treating. Instead, use a reusable bag that is made of fabric like a pillowcase.

● Pick up any trash you see when you are trick-or-treating. Littering is a big problem on Halloween due to multiple people leave empty candy wrappers on the streets. When you see any trash pick it up and throw it away. Do not drop empty candy wrappers on the street. You can also organize a trash pick up the day after Halloween in your community. Gather some friends and family and go around picking up any garbage that you find on the floor while encouraging others not to litter too. By picking up trash, we help keep our earth clean and prevent animals from eating or choking on these hazardous waste products.

● Inform others about how they can help reduce waste on Halloween. Our earth will be cleaner with the more people who take action which is why it's important to spread these ideas and tips with others in your community. Talk to friends and family and encourage them to follow these tips and tricks for Halloween. Share informational posts and articles on social media to help educate others about how they can be an ally to mother nature this Halloween. Be loud and speak up about helping our communities!

So, this Halloween remember to follow all of these tips to help ensure that you are being kind to our environment and also help inform others in your community that they too can help change the amount of waste on our planet.

Works Cited:

https://inhabitat.com/halloween-generates-frightening-amounts-of-plastic-waste-each-year/