Trick or treat, eat candies, but go sustainable this Halloween.

Trick or treat, eat candies, but go sustainable this Halloween.

Trick-or-treating, setting off bonfires, turning pumpkins into Jack O’ lanterns, pulling pranks on your friends, going to haunted places, and dressing up as scary things are all ways that people celebrate Halloween.

But did you know?

An estimated 7 million Halloween costumes are thrown away annually (says an environmental charity Hubbub investigation), causing landfills. It is a terrifying thing to know how much waste is accumulating on the earth only on this day.

This year, according to some other research, Americans are expected to spend $3.6 billion on Halloween costumes, which tend to produce a higher amount of waste as compared to the previous year. The amount of plastic waste accumulated by thrown-out customers in a year is similar to the discarding of about 83 million plastic bottles. Plastic has thus become a scarier thing about Halloween than its haunted scenarios.

What can we do?

Consumers can make small personal efforts to reduce the accumulation of plastic as responsible citizens of society. They can indeed dress up for Halloween by purchasing costumes from charity shops or recycling their old costumes rather than purchasing new plastic costumes. It's also a beneficial practice to create your non-plastic costume designs.

You should also avoid wearing synthetic accessories such as wings, hats, masks, party decorations, glittery makeup, and buy pet outfits. Try some unique practices so that reducing your Halloween plastic use doesn't have to be complicated or even less enjoyable. It might even increase your involvement and enjoyment in this extraordinary celebration.

This is also a shoutout to the manufacturers, to consider the growing landfills and rethink their product choices for various seasonal celebrations.

What are the best practices to adhere to?

  •         Design a costume with polymer-free material.

After the festivities of Halloween ends, the plastic-best polymer costumes end up in nothing but landfills. They have a short lifespan and are non-biodegradable, so when they are washed, they shed microplastics into the water.

All you need is some online assistance. For instance, you can check out some Pinterest boards to craft a handmade costume. Additionally, your costume will undoubtedly be unique. Imagine a character that you love and, with already-owned clothing, get it designed which will be far better than that plastic skeleton costume.

  •         The trick or treat sweets

The sweets that you buy from the supermarket are packed in plastic wraps that are non-biodegradable. They are harmful to the environment as they either end up in landfills or find their way to oceans, lakes, rivers, and more. The result is an adverse effect on the ecosystem and human health.

You can try some easy recipes at home that have healthier ingredients and source them without plastic for the trick-and-treating troupe. Also, for example, it's simple to batch-cook pumpkin brownies, accessorized cupcakes, and cookies, which are fun for kids to help make and can be covered in brown paper or another degradable wrapping to safely distribute on Halloween night.

Your special touch of love in the recipes will always bring a smile to the little monster at your door.

  •         The decorations

You should avoid buying too many party decoration materials to turn your house into a haunted place, as you can have some sustainable party decoration ideas to avoid landfills. Some eco-friendly brands use recycled paper to make brightly colored lanterns and garlands to decorate your house.

You can also upcycle the wrapping papers and tissue papers into your DIY creations and make your house decorated with products that are derived naturally or ones that degrade in a composite file and cause no landfills.

By adopting a different perspective, you can easily and happily reduce your plastic consumption this Halloween and throughout the year. This will allow you to keep scary tales in the world of fiction, in which they belong.

Trick or Treat! Don’t forget to use a reusable bag or pouch to collect your sweets. Happy Halloween!

 


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