Green Halloween - 5 ways to reduce plastic waste this Halloween.

With Halloween just around the corner many of you might be starting to think about where that box of spiderwebs and witch hats might be. After looking for 20 minutes in the attic you may decide that perhaps it just isn’t worth it? “Maybe I'll just pop down to Tesco’s and buy a few cheap packs of easy decorations”. Since you’re heading there anyway for a pumpkin it's so convenient.

Did you know that 7 million costumes are thrown away each year, with Halloween generating an estimated 2000 tons of plastic waste, in the UK alone. That is an inordinate amount of waste for a single day.

So what are some ways to reduce the amount of waste we produce this halloween?

Costumes

Instead of buying cheaply made costumes that will only get one wear, why not reuse something you already have, or perhaps recycle other household items such as sheets to make a ghost or mummy costume.

Decorations

Old laddered tights make excellent spiderwebs, and cardboard boxes and some glue can be crafted into anything that you can imagine!

Party

If you or your family are throwing a Halloween party, make it green by using washable utensils and glassware rather than paper plates or plastic cups. Send your invites over social media rather than on paper.

Trick or Treating

If your kids are planning on trick or treating, remember to send them out with a reusable way to gather goodies, things like pillow cases, or canvas bags will work perfectly, and I am willing to bet you have them already!

Pumpkins

Finally when you’re getting creative with the pumpkin carving don’t forget to save the seeds for use in your baking. They’re delicious toasted with some oil and salt!, or if that's not your thing, you could put them out for the birds to eat along with the rest of the pumpkin!