Make your Halloween more sustainable with DIY Halloween decorations and more!
Like other holidays, Halloween celebrations often produce a lot of unnecessary waste — like single-use plastic candy wrappers and non-biodegradable costumes and décor that are only used for a season. Halloween happens to be my favorite holiday, so I’ve definitely been noodling about ways to make my Halloween a little greener and wanted to share some of those ideas here. From crafting homemade Halloween decorations to other sustainable swaps, here are some of the ways I’m cutting waste this spooky season and making my Halloween more eco-friendly!
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1. Craft or Thrift DIY Costumes
Many store-bought Halloween costumes are made of non-biodegradable materials, like polyester, that don’t survive much wear and tear. However, you can craft some pretty incredible costumes using natural fabrics, like cotton, or upcycle thrifted items into Halloween outfits that are totally your own. Old curtains and bedding from thrifts stores are usually much more affordable than yards of new fabric and they can be made into princess gowns, spooky capes, and other costumes that only you can dream up!
2. Host a Costume Swap
Another sustainable way to get your hands on a new-for-you costume is to swap last year’s costume with friends. You can even make a whole event of it and host a costume swap party either before Halloween or after when you’re done with this year’s costume. If you like the idea of hosting a swap, you may also want to throw a post-Halloween candy party and exchange all the trick-or-treat candies that you’re not fond of.
3. Use Biodegradable or Upcycled Décor
Pumpkins, gourds, cornstalks, autumn leaves, bales of hay, and foraged plants make fantastic autumn décor and they can be composted at the end of the season. But you can also find a lot of inexpensive Halloween decorations at thrift stores and use them as-is or upcycle them into new creative forms. If you’re looking for a bit of inspiration, here are some Halloween DIY crafts that you may want to try.
- Thrift mismatched plates and goblets for an eclectic murder mystery or vampire-themed party.
- String colorful autumn leaves on cotton twine to craft fully biodegradable garlands.
- Forage for grapevine and other bendy plants for DIY Halloween wreath forms.
- Craft bats and other spooky shapes out of recycled paper and use them as wall art.
- Weave your own spiderwebs by twining cotton cord over a DIY frame made with sticks.
4. Preserve Pumpkins with Coconut Oil
Carved jack o’lanterns only last for a few days, which is why creative folks are always coming up with new ways to keep jack o’lanterns fresh a little longer. To extend their shelf life, pumpkins are often coated in petroleum jelly or hairspray; however, these products make pumpkins non-compostable! Coconut oil or olive oil, on the other hand, are both biodegradable products and they can extend the shelf life of carved pumpkins too.
5. Make Pumpkin Compost
No matter what you coat them with, carved pumpkins will eventually fade and mold. But don’t throw those pumpkins in the trash! Pumpkins make excellent compost (as long as they aren’t coated in petroleum jelly or hairspray) and they can be composted whole or in bits in outdoor compost piles.
Tip: Don’t forget to save pumpkin seeds when you carve your jack o’lanterns. They can be planted in next year’s garden or roasted with salt and olive oil for a tasty snack!
6. Select Snacks in Biodegradable Packaging
Most trick-or-treat candies are packaged in non-biodegradable, plastic packaging, which creates a lot of unnecessary waste. But eco-minded Halloween lovers can still offer Halloween treats by choosing snacks in biodegradable wrappers. Alter Eco Truffles, for instance, are sold in fully compostable wrappers, canned sodas can be recycled, and classic candies, like Tootise Rolls, Dum Dums, and Junior Mints come in compostable waxed paper or cardboard boxes.
7. Put Lights on a Timer
String lights and spot lights add funky flair to homes around Halloween. But outdoor lighting can use up a lot of energy and create light pollution that affects bats and migratory birds. The good news is that you can limit these effects by placing your lights on an outdoor timer.
8. Create Biodegradable Confetti
Confetti is always a fun addition to tablescapes and Halloween gift bags, but it’s usually made of non-biodegradable materials. For a more sustainable solution, make your own confetti with autumn leaves and a Halloween-themed hole punch!
9. Select Reusable Trick-or-Treat Bags
Rather than buying new, plastic trick-or-treat bags every season, try reusing the bags you used last year or stop by your local thrift store for a new candy toting option. Pre-loved baskets have lots of charm and they can hold tons of candy too. If you’re lucky, you may even find an old school Halloween bucket for that vintage vibe.
10. Try Eco-Friendly Face Paint
Face paint and body glitter can take a blah costume to the next level, but many of these products aren’t earth-friendly. Enter biodegradable body glitter and natural face paint! Whether you want to be a magical fairy or terrifying skeleton, these sustainable products can take you there.
11. Burn Natural Candles
Most store-bought candles are made of paraffin (a petroleum-based product that can release harmful chemicals when burned) and they often have lead wicks too. For a more natural solution, look for soy- or beeswax candles with lead-free wicks and no added scents. These candles will burn just as bright on your Halloween tablescape or in you jack o-lanterns!
12. Choose Outdoor Décor Wisely
I love Halloween decorations as much as anyone, but some outdoor decorations are just not safe for wildlife. Fake spider webs, in particular, often ensnare and prove hazardous to owls, bats, and other critters, and ghosts made of plastic bags pose similar dangers. To avoid these risks, don’t use outdoor products that can tangle around small feet and wings, choose natural décor when you can, and install decorations in spots where wildlife (and pets!) can’t get to them.
Excellent ideas. Thank you!