How to have a plastic-free Halloween

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.

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