Waste is Spooky! Here’s Some Tips for a Sustainable Halloween
It’s almost Halloween- a holiday of costumes, candy, and decorations! But can we do that sustainably? We sure can and we’re here to give you some fun, helpful ideas!
Decorations
Decorations can create a lot of waste with items that we don’t always reuse. Similar to other holidays, invest in decorations you can use year after year, or create decorations using items you already have! Check out these ideas for decorations we made using stuff from around the home. And don’t forget, you can compost your pumpkins after the festivities as long as there’s no wax or paint on them!
Here are some other ideas from when the SLCgreen team decorated our office, sustainably, a few years ago.
Costumes
The fashion industry creates lots of waste already (about 11.3 million tons was landfilled in 2018) and cheap Halloween costumes only add to the problem. In 2019, the UK estimated that 2,000 tons of waste plastic waste was produced by “throw-away” Halloween costumes! While these bagged and already put together costumes are very convenient, challenge yourself to create a costume out of items you already have, rent a costume (yes, we have stores in the area that rent high-quality costumes!), or go to one of the many thrift stores in the area to source items.
Think of costumes that have pieces you can incorporate into your every day wardrobe to avoid unnecessary clutter or creating even more waste. Here are some fun ideas for easy to thrift costumes:
– Anyone from The Breakfast Club
– Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service
Party time!
Similar to our advice for 4th of July, try and find ways to avoid creating additional plastic waste during your parties. This can include thrifting plates and utensils to store for other large gatherings in your house, investing in reusable plastic cups for any drinks, or encouraging your guests to bring their own dishes!
As a reminder, here is what is recyclable in your Salt Lake City blue bin.
Need help crafting your perfectly spooky dishes, check out these fun and vegan options!
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