How to provide bushes for nesting birds
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In the spring, birds choose the best locations to build nests, so why not offer them a safe place to settle?
If Halloween costumes and masks to copious amounts of plastic-wrapped treats is enough to scare you, check out our top tips for a plastic free Halloween!
Bring costumes back from the dead
It can be great fun dressing up as your favourite spooky character, but a recent survey found that Halloween costumes are often made up of 90% plastic. An incredible 7 million Halloween costumes are thrown away each year in the UK. But you can avoid this by:
- Making your own costume from old clothes or cardboard
- Costume swap with friends a family
- Rent a costume just for the night
Paint on a scary face
If you are looking for a waste-free costume, face paint is the perfect option! Choose a natural, non-toxic face paint that washes off at the end of the night. Transform into a ghastly ghost or a skeleton without the plastic waste.
Halloween costumes are often made up of 90% plastic.
Don't waste your pumpkin
Carving a pumpkin is a family friendly activity which screams Halloween. But what do you do with the leftovers? Sadly, a horrifying 8 million pumpkins will be thrown out after Halloween in the UK alone. How about using the leftovers to make a pumpkin pie or soup? Alternatively, roasted pumpkin seeds make a quick and easy snack!
Reusable treat containers
Upcycle a plastic tub, pillowcase or tote bag by decorating it with a spooky design. It will last for many years to come!
Home-baked treats
Instead of individual plastic-wrapped sweets, cook up some fudge or bake your own spooky cookies. Children will love decorating them!
Decorate
Get creative and make decorations that are recyclable! How about...
- Paper ghosts, bats and garlands
- Construct an autumnal Halloween wreath made from twigs and leaves
- Create autumn leaf lanterns using old jam jars and leaves
- Transform milk jugs into ghost lanterns
- Use brown string to create spider webs
More ways you can help wildlife
How to attract moths and bats to your garden
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Plant flowers that release their scent in the evening to attract moths and, ultimately, bats looking for an insect-meal into your garden.
How to make a gravel garden for wildlife
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Surfaced spaces needn't exclude wildlife! Gravel can often be the most wildlife-friendly solution for a particular area.
Change what you eat
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Buy local produce, eat more plant-based foods and reduce your food miles to shrink your environmental footprint.
How to make a log shelter
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Log piles are perfect hiding places for insects, providing a convenient buffet for frog, birds, and hedgehogs too!
How to create a mini pond
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Even a small pond can be home to an interesting range of wildlife, including damsel and dragonflies, frogs and newts.