Have yourself a fiendishly green Halloween
Halloween can be a scary time but don’t make yours scary for the wrong reasons!
Did you know 7 million Halloween costumes are thrown away each year in the UK?
And 15 million pumpkins are binned every Halloween.
Here are a few ideas on how to make your Halloween less scary for the planet.
Costumes
Halloween costumes are around 80% plastic, so why not see if you can kit out the family without buying anything new.
- If last year’s costume still fits (or fits a younger child) reuse it
- Swap costumes with friends or family with children of a similar age (or with adults of course)
- Buy secondhand – see if one of the charity shops has Halloween costumes or
- Look at sites like Vinted, which has lots of Halloween related items
- Have a go at making one – it doesn’t have to be perfect … that’s part of the fun! You could even have a costume making party. Check out some ideas online https://shrinkthatfootprint.com/eco-friendly-halloween-costumes/
Decorations
- Do you know anyone with an allotment that might have spare pumpkins?
- If you’re looking for cheap and cheerful – and when it comes to Halloween decorations why not? – have a scout round charity shops for anything suitable that you can reuse
- Have a go at making decorations or your own sweet collecting bucket – paint cardboard boxes to look like tombstones; use wool for spiderwebs or old t-shirts for flying ghosts. There are lots of ideas online, like https://www.redtedart.com/paper-halloween-crafts/ (I particularly like the monster wreath!)
What to do with your left over pumpkin
- Save the scooped out flesh and make soup
- Check out online recipes for what to do with the middle of the pumpkin, such as these yummy ideas on https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/pumpkin-recipes
- If you have a compost bin, pop it in there (or see if your nearest allotments will add it to their compost bin)
Please don’t just leave them outside, they take a long time to break down and can encourage rats. They’re also not good for hedgehogs and other wildlife that tend to gorge on them, causing stomach upsets and diarrhoea, which can be fatal.
Party time!
If you’re having a party, try Ecologico www.ecologicouk.com for reusable party kits – they’ll even wash up for you! (for a small fee).
