Halloween has long since turned from a sacred day with deep traditions into a commercial holiday. Its attributes – "scary" costumes and decorations – have flooded the shops. And after the celebration, they usually end up in the bin. That means lots of plastic and other not-so-eco-friendly materials that are essentially used only once. But even this mystical attraction can be made more environmentally friendly.
Greenpeace Ukraine shared some more nature-friendly ways to celebrate Halloween.
Give up single-use costumes
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Mass-market clothing and accessories are usually of very low quality and end up in the bin right after All Saints' Day. Instead of synthetics for one evening, it is much better to:
- rent clothes;
- buy second-hand items;
- swap clothes with friends.
Choose natural decorations over artificial ones
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The atmosphere of the mystical holiday can be created with organic rather than artificial items. Real pumpkins, natural candles and colourful autumn leaves can be a good alternative.
Also, as with artificial Christmas trees, which EcoPolitic wrote about earlier, for Halloween you can choose high-quality decorations that you will use year after year rather than just once.
Make the most of pumpkins
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Halloween only needs the bright orange shell of the pumpkin. But that does not mean the flesh should be thrown away. It can be used to cook plenty of tasty and healthy dishes – from cream soups to pies.
And the festive "lantern" itself can later be composted instead of being thrown in the bin. This way, it will become fertiliser rather than just more waste.
Choose unwrapped sweets
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The Halloween tradition of treating people to sweets and other goodies is also a significant source of waste. However, sweets can be bought unwrapped, by weight, and handed out in paper bags or reusable eco bags.
Another option is to bake themed cookies yourself to avoid generating non-recyclable waste.
Give up disposable tableware
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Halloween also means parties with food and drinks. Using disposable tableware to serve them will not make the holiday any greener. So it is better to use ordinary household plates or reusable plastic or metal tableware.
If you want to start sorting waste at home, in this article you will find starter tips from EcoPolitic.
As a reminder, autumn leaves should not be burned. On the one hand, you may get a fine; on the other, you deprive ecosystems of important organic matter. How best to use plant residues – here.
