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From Halloween to Hallow-green: 10 eco-friendly ideas for celebrating the spooky season

Getting ready for Halloween? Celebrating with an environmentally-friendly mindset is not always easy, as festivities can come with high consumerism and produce a lot of waste. The good news is that you can still celebrate Halloween with minimum environmental impact. From costumes and decorations, to trick-or-treating and the party, here are tips on how to celebrate in a fun and sustainable way!

Costumes

The majority of costumes are purchased new and only worn once before being discarded, and are typically made from non-recyclable, synthetic materials. Before buying new costumes, check your existing wardrobe for options. Upcycle old clothes with your sewing skills or attach other accessories, let your creativity flow!

The majority of costumes are purchased new and only worn once before being discarded, and are typically made from non-recyclable, synthetic materials. Before buying new costumes, check your existing wardrobe for options. Upcycle old clothes with your sewing skills or attach other accessories, let your creativity flow!

For example, a long black dress can be used to portray a witch, a vampire, Morticia Addams, or an evil fairytale villain. Just style it differently every year!

Trick-or-treating

Confectionery wrappers are usually made of mixed materials and difficult to recycle, and since they are generally small, they can be easy to lose and end up as litter,” explains Garth Graves, Vice President of Operations at TOMRA, which provides reverse vending machines for collecting drink containers for recycling. “Check your local guides for how to sort sweets and lolly wrappers in your region to make sure to dispose of them properly. Otherwise, choose candy that comes in recyclable packaging, like cardboard.”

If you’ll be making your own Halloween treats to exchange with family and friends, help cut down the trick-or-treat waste by using reusable or recyclable wrapping. For example, you can bake your own Halloween cookies and place them in little paper boxes.

You can upcycle an old pillowcase or bag by redecorating or painting it to suit the Halloween mood! The treats bag can be stored away after the occasion and used again next year.

Decorations

Decorations made of textiles can be stored and used again in the coming years. Use old black socks to create spiders or bats, torn stockings to hang as cobwebs, or old white bedsheets as ghosts. If you don’t have what you need on hand, again look at buying second-hand or swapping decorations with friends and family.

Create a jack-o’-lantern by carving a real pumpkin instead of buying a plastic one (then use the seeds to make soup and reduce food waste), draw on eggshells to turn them into mini skulls or use other natural materials like leaves and straw. After the party, these decorations can be used as compost.

For the Party

 It is always best to use actual crockery, silverware, and glasses. But if you really must use disposable wares, consider biodegradable or recyclable options made of wood and paper. You can also serve food that can be consumed using only wooden sporks, skewers, or chopsticks. Make sure that these materials are properly disposed of after use.

“Recycling your bottles and cans ensures that they can stay in the loop and be turned into new containers, again and again,” explains Garth Graves at TOMRA. “Allocate one bin where your guests can collect all their used drink containers, so they can be returned for recycling after the party, to your nearest reverse vending machine or recycling centre.” Doing this also helps make the post-party clean-up easier for you.

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2022-10-26T13:45:30+10:00

Every year our machines accept, recognise and collect over 45 billion empty drink containers worldwide and in return give a small reward for each one.

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