This year, an estimated $6.9 Billion will be spent by Americans on Halloween costumes, decorations and candy. Most of the items purchased end up in a landfill by Christmas. Follow these tips to Go Green this Halloween!
- Halloween Costume Buy your costume used at a thrift store. If you’re local, go to Buffalo Exchange to support Green Light New Orleans when you bring a reusable bag for your purchase at the checkout. Also, remember donate or save the bags afterwards instead of throwing away!
- Face Paint Skip the (often) chemical-filled face paint and make your own! Here are three easy recipes with some items you might already have in your kitchen.
- Halloween Decorations Over 25% of the money spent on Halloween is spent on decorations, most of which end up in the trash. Instead, try these free and sustainable options:
- Sustainably scary scarecrow out of old clothes stuffed with pillows and newspaper
- Dancing ghosts out of old sheets
- Tombstones out of cardboard boxes
- Spider webs out of old tights and yarn
- Feeling extra crafty? Checkout this list for homemade ideas with everything from spooky window décor to a monster face archway.
Scare Crows
- Trick-or-Treaters For the trick-or-treaters, one of the best parts about Halloween is the candy. Try to cut down on your candy-footprint and check out these affordable, eco-friendly options. Don’t like any of these options? Consider purchasing candy in recyclable packages in cardboard boxes (like Dots).
- Halloween Party Keep the environment in mind when planning your party – avoid disposable plates and utensils and opt for homemade treats instead of store bought. Tell everyone to bring their own spooky cup! Play eco-friendly games like bobbing for apples and pin the tail on the donkey – and pass on wasteful ones like mummy wrapping competitions with toilet paper.
- Trick-or-treating Instead of buying one of those plastic pumpkin holders, go old school and reuse an old pillowcase. Remind your kid that there’s more space in there, AKA more candy! Also be sure to pick up any candy wrappers you see on the ground.
- Buy Local and Compost Cut down on the 1.3 billion pounds of annual pumpkin waste by composting yours! And if you haven’t bought one yet, buy local at a farmers market to support local agriculture.
- Pumpkin Seeds But before you compost it, save the seeds and follow one of these fun recipes to make any type of roasted pumpkin seed treat you could imagine (spicy, cinnamon, salty…) Better yet, save a few seeds so you can grow your own next year!
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds! - The Mood Even if you do have our energy efficient CFLs, take this opportunity to spook up the block and turn off all your inside lights and leave your outside lights on so that trick-or-treaters know you’re home!
- Next Year Always save as much as your Halloween decorations and costumes to re-use next year! Consider a spooky swap with your neighbors and donate the rest.
Happy Halloween!