DIY Halloween decorations and other eco-friendly ways to celebrate spooky season!
Sustainability

Green Your Halloween with DIY Halloween Decorations and Other Eco-Friendly Tips!

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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Paper mache masks can be decorated with thrifted fabric and trim.

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!


Raid your closet for funky frocks and swaps them with friends!

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.


Mix and match thrifted plates and utensils for a spooktacular tablespread!

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.


Coconut oil keeps carved pumpkins from drying out and reduces mold growth.

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.


Pumpkins can be composted whole, but they break down faster if you break them up first!

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!


These candy apples are displayed with paper muffin wrappers, wooden popsicle sticks, and upcycled ribbon.

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.


Putting lights on a timer conserves electricity and helps nocturnal wildlife.

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.


Confetti made from fallen leaves is every bit as colorful as the store-bought stuff!

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!


Thrifted baskets can be used for trick or treating… and Easter too!

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.


Eco-friendly face paint is a plastic-free alternative to non-biodegradable, polyester costumes.

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.


Soy and beeswax candles burn cleaner than paraffin ones.

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!


A pile of pumpkins adds Halloween charm. And it’s safe for wildlife!

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.

Do you have any other sustainable Halloween swaps and ideas? Post them on our Zero Waste Homesteading group and help our community create a greener Halloween!

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