Make This Halloween Spooktacular and Sustainable

Halloween is a fun-filled occasion for the entire family, but the spookiest thing about it is the waste production. As a matter of fact, according to The Retail Council of Canada, Halloween represents a $1 billion industry in Canada, with 68% of the population taking part. Canadians spend nearly $550 million worth of candies and snacks every year.

Our friends at the London Environmental Network are eager to help ensure that the spookiest time of year is also one of the greenest, so they shared some useful tips:

Costume swapping, recycling or mending: Instead of buying new costumes every year, consider swapping with friends or family, creating your own from clothes or materials you already own, or upcycling last year’s outfits with creative DIY ideas. Let’s replicate what Nova Scotia recently did, check this out!

Choose Eco-Friendly Decorations: Opt for natural or reusable decorations like pumpkins, gourds, or homemade paper crafts instead of single-use plastic decorations. If you use pumpkins, do not forget to compost them afterward!

Sustainable Treats: Try to minimize plastic waste by giving out candies wrapped in recyclable paper or opting for snacks with minimal packaging. You can also consider homemade treats (if permitted) or small, reusable trinkets.

Ditch Plastic Bags: Instead of plastic trick-or-treat bags or containers, use reusable bags, cloth totes, or baskets. This helps reduce single-use plastic and is much sturdier for holding all those treats.

Recycle What You Can: After the festivities, make sure to recycle any recyclable materials such as candy wrappers that allow it, and properly dispose of any non-recyclable items.

Reusing Packaging: Reuse packaging in different ways such as building cardboard tube trick-or-treat containers and spooky can lanterns.

Eco-friendly alternatives for synthetic spiderwebs: Decorative fake spiderwebs are hazards for birds, bees and other wildlife. Here you can find different alternatives!    

You can also join the HallowGreen Challenge at Random Acts of Green. This Challenge is designed to help educate people on different environmental actions during the month of October.

Written by London Environmental Network