4 Tips for Celebrating an Eco-Friendly Halloween

This week is Halloween! My favorite holiday! It's Natalie btw.

This year October has gone by in the blink of an eye and it's now time to officially put on the witch hat and carve those pumpkins!

As I was saying, Halloween is very special for me because my birthday is close to October 31st and I have always celebrated my birthday with a costume party or by going trick or treating with my friends and family. It allows me to embrace my inner witch-magical self. However, it's important not to let the best holiday of the year - only for Natalie - make us forget that any type of festivity comes with high consumerism tendencies and lots of waste.

Although this is a personal and significant day of the year for me, I am aware that it's not always easy to celebrate it with an eco-conscious mind. But worry not, that's why we are here for and today we are going to show you four tips that you can make this Halloween an eco-friendly one.

1. DIY Decorations

Part of having an eco-friendly Halloween has to start with the basics: the decorations. Many people tend to go to a Dollar General, Part City, Walmart or Spirit of Halloween and get many cheap, wasteful and non-recyclable decorations that end up in the trash as soon as the spooky season comes to an end. Rather than doing the same thing every single year, try doing your own decorations.

You can LI - TE - RA - LLY make anything spooky! Just grab a can of non-toxic black paint and go crazy with it. Use materials that you have at home (for example, jars and boxes) or things that you can find outside. Make sure to check on Pinterest or Tik Tok for some great ideas.

One thing I have always wanted to do is pumpkin carving! This last weekend I finally had the opportunity to do so with Rachel, and it was incredibly fun. I am all about making traditions and this is definitely one that you can start with family and friends. Go buy organic, locally grown pumpkins and do your own carving contest /decorations! If carving, don’t forget to save those pumpkin seeds to roast, compost them or make delicious recipes with them.

Also, remember to reuse old decorations from previous years!

2. Re-use or DIY Costumes

Yes, costumes are a key factor for celebrating Halloween but costumes leave a huge carbon footprint, especially because they encourage single-use plastic. The good thing about Halloween is that it inspires people to be very creative. In a world where arts, movies, books and anime have created thousands of characters to choose from, the possibilities of creating a costume are infinite.

Making your own costumes is another super fun activity to do at home in preparation for the big day and you can either do it with clothes that you already have or by going to thrift stores. I think my favorite homemade costume was dressing up as a ghost using a white sheet and funny glasses. It was a huge success!

Also, if you do decide to spend money on an actual costume - been there, done that - make sure you reuse it later on. I bought my Morticia Adams costume and that dress has been my vampire costume, Elvira costume, witch costume, sorceress costume and more. You just need to style it differently and with a little bit of magic, anything is possible.

3. Eco-friendly Halloween Treats & Candy

Now that we have our decorations and costumes ready, it's time to choose the main entree - the candy and treats. This is not an easy one, especially when it's easier and tempting to buy chocolates and candy in bulk at any store or supermarket. However, where there is a will there is a way and there are actually many other options you can choose from that are better for the environment.

You can buy organic chocolate/candy and fairtrade chocolate bars from brands like Alter Eco which are making a huge difference by making compostable wrappers. You can also choose candy in less plastic packaging.

You can also bake your own Halloween treats! This is a very popular option for anybody that likes to bake. It can even be a fun activity for a Halloween party. Decore your own cookies or cake...yum!

Psst! If you are vegan, this is a great opportunity for you to try making Rachel's Healthier "Snickers®" Bombs and share them with your friends and family. Believe me, you will not regret it.

If you decide to give treats rather than food, then you can also buy Halloween pencils and erasers which is a great non-food option and it's a great idea. You can find all sorts of small toys or treats at stores and although they may not necessarily be eco-friendly, it's a more sustainable way of giving treats because children can actually use them.

4. Bags & Buckets

Last but not least, we need to reconsider how we carry that precious cargo that is the candy and the treats. Let's toss away the classic plastic buckets and instead, let's think outside the box and use something more fun, reusable and accessible like a pillowcase!

The best thing about pillowcases is that they are fun to use and they are very eco-friendly because they are washable and if you have a big-sized one you can store even more candy! If you don't want to use a pillowcase then worry not, grab reusable supermarket bags or decorate an old tote bag. Once again, the great thing about this holiday is that you have many creative ways to reuse old things.

I’m planning on throwing a Halloween party this year, and I’m very excited to apply all of these tips and also, to keep you updated! To make sure you don’t miss anything, be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Happy Halloween from The Eco Green Co.!