Little Change Creators
Plastic is the main culprit behind the ghastly carbon footprint of Halloween. Nearly everything used for Halloween – costumes, lolly buckets, lolly wrappers and decorations – is made out of plastic. With Australians spending around $430M on Halloween celebrations in 2022, the scariest thing about Halloween is the plastic!
However, there are ways to indulge the kids (and some of us parents too!) without trashing our planet. Let’s take a closer look at all the elements that play a part in the Halloween experience…
Costumes
The problem with Halloween costumes is that they’re mostly made from synthetic textiles, such as polyester and fake felt. Essentially, these costumes are around 80% plastic which uses fossil fuels and contributes to all the microplastics in our oceans and waterways. Scary stuff! Instead, try these ideas:
- Reuse – If your kids have an outfit from last year that still fits, wear it again!
- Swap – Pop a post in your school’s online community and arrange to swap costumes.
- Hire – Costume stores often have a great variety of outfits to hire and it doesn’t cost as much as new, quality costumes.
- Buy second-hand – Save some dollars and support a good cause by shopping at your local charity shop.
- Get creative – Old clothes can often be repurposed as costume parts. Let your kids’ imaginations run wild and give your sewing machine a workout! You’ll find some fantastic ideas on Pinterest and have fun as a family in the process.
Face Paint and Makeup
The majority of regular Halloween makeup contains heavy metals such as lead, nickel, cobalt, and chromium, all packaged in plastic boxes and wraps. Instead, consider natural cosmetics from a local small business and shop for brands that use recyclable packaging.
Decorations
Like costumes, most Halloween decorations are disposable plastic trash that find their way to landfill within weeks. So, if you’re crafty, this is your time to shine! Sit the kids down and keep them entertained by creating some quality, reusable Halloween decorations. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- ‘Spookify’ jars with tealights and paint or use the lids to create unique Halloween decorations.
- Use paper and cardboard to create reusable garlands and bunting.
- Paint or draw scary posters.
- Colour these Spellbound or Crawlies placemats for boo-tiful table decorations that are completely planet-friendly. These reusable placemats can be cleaned in the dishwasher and re-coloured next year!
Trick-or-Treat
From pumpkin-shaped plastic buckets to plastic-wrapped sweets, this Halloween tradition feels like a wicked trick played on our planet.
Seriously, who needs a plastic bucket to collect sweets? Pillowcases make great loot bags – they’re washable and hold more treats than any of those plastic alternatives! You could even use your child’s library bag or a fabric shopping tote.
Lollies and Sweets
- Look for lollies with minimal packaging and/or packaged in recycled materials
- Check labels to ensure that ingredients are from sustainable sources. This is particularly important when it comes to chocolate.
- Consider small gifts or homemade trinkets instead of sweets.
Halloween is an opportunity to have frightfully good fun as a family without harming our planet. By reducing what we buy and reusing the materials we have, we can all enjoy a greener Halloween and avoid being haunted by plastic.
