Go Green for Halloween: Sustainable Options to Consider this Year

Halloween can be an extremely fun and creative holiday to celebrate. However, the traditional ways we celebrate often produces a ton of waste, which isn’t as fun once you recognize it. Don’t be fooled though; there are a few ways you can reduce your waste this year or go “green” for Halloween. Even if you start small by embracing one change, you’ll make a difference. This can further lead to you influencing others to make changes as well.

Eco-Friendly Trick-or-Treat Options

Candy

The typical offering during Trick-or-Treating is candy! The most common packaging during trick-or-treating is candy wrapped in mixed plastics and foil. Unfortunately, this packaging is not easily recycled.

There are other options for candy where the packaging is more eco-friendly, but these options may end up costing more than the bulk bags you see filling the shelves in our stores. Other packaging options include aluminum foil, paper packaging, or candy in cardboard boxes. If you pass out candy for Halloween, consider changing your offerings to a more sustainable option if it’s an option for you.

A few candy options that have more eco-friendly packaging are Milk duds, Junior Mints, Mike and Ike, and Lindt chocolates.

Beverages

Candy isn’t the only option when it comes to trick-or-treating. Honestly, there are so many options if you allow your creativity to come out.

You could offer beverages in aluminum cans or glass bottles. However, I’m sure this would be a more costly option as well. There are undoubtedly safety concerns when it comes to handing children glass bottles. An option would be to pass out glass bottles to older children and aluminum cans to younger children. Either of these options can be utilized as an easily recyclable item to pass out on Halloween. I loved the old-fashioned sodas as a kid and the fact that we didn’t buy soda regularly made them even more unique to me. 

Whole Fruit

Not as sweet as the above two options, but still a sweet treat, nonetheless. Most children enjoy eating fruit. A few single-serving fruit options with a peel could be bananas, seedless mandarins, or apples.

While handing out whole fruits, you could even really lean into the experience and make the fruit apart of your costume. Dress up as a teacher and pass out apples. Or dress up as a monkey handing out bananas. You get the gist here. Put your own fun spin on a whole fruit option if this idea sounds fun to you!

In addition to being healthier for children, the peels are compostable, which leads to less waste.

Art or School Supplies

Crayons, markers, erasers, glue sticks, and more. You can find sustainably made art supplies, but even without buying those options, these items serve a purpose. They will be used throughout the year (or several years) and these items may also help families in need.

Small Toys and Trinkets

These options create a variety of treasures for children to enjoy instead of simply all candy. Some children struggle with sensory disorders and dislike candy, but thoroughly enjoy the process of trick-or-treating and the toys and other items they may receive.

My daughter has autism and doesn’t eat any candy (no chocolate, no hard candy, no gummies), but she loves the experience of going door-to-door and saying “trick-or-treat.” She also loves small toys and items that she can line up. Last year her favorite items from Halloween were spider rings, bubbles, and spooky erasers. We handed all our candy (what candy my husband didn’t pick out for himself) over to other children in our family.

Toys and trinkets may not be the most sustainable choices, but it may bring more value to a child than a piece of candy that is mindlessly consumed in a matter of seconds. *Guilty. Two options that contribute to less waste overall are: Passing out pennies (and fake gems if you want to add this touch) while dressed up as a pirate or passing out bamboo toothbrushes and dress up as a dentist.

Sustainable Costumes

Create Your Own Costumes

I am not as skilled as my mom when it comes to creating my own costumes, but I do try when I can. Often my costumes consist of clothing I already own and maybe a few new accessories and make up to create the costume.

Using what you already own is an extremely sustainable option. This also strengthens your creativity muscles and can give you a sense of accomplishment at the finished product.

Some ideas for using what you may already own:

 

    • Black cat: black leggings and long sleeve black shirt. Add a touch of makeup as whiskers and a nose.

    • Scarecrow: old jeans or overalls, boots, and a flannel. Add a straw hat and makeup.

    • Ghost: an old white sheet with two holes cut out for eyes. Not that you’d just have this laying around, but most of us have old sheets that you could easily transition into Halloween gear.

    • Cowboy or cowgirl: jeans, boots, flannel, cowboy hat.

  • Diva, dancer, cleaning lady, lumberjack, athlete, an artist, and so many more.

Buy Second-Hand Costumes

Thrift stores are busting at their seams this time of year with Halloween costumes. Save yourself some money and buy from your local community or thrift store. This will slow down the ever-circulating door of items being used once and then being shuffled into our landfills.

Costumes at thrift stores are marked down significantly compared to retail stores and have typically been worn once or twice. For a costume that your child typically won’t wear more than a few times during the week of Halloween, this is a great option.

Exchange Costumes

Something my mom has done for years that I admire is being somewhat of a Halloween “stop and shop” for her friends and family. Need a last-minute Halloween costume, idea, or prop? Stop by my mom.

She keeps a tote or two of Halloween props and costumes stashed away in her basement. Her friends and family rotate through them year after year, and everyone seems to put their own twist or spin on the items they choose and make their costume unique. It’s pretty neat.

Having a tote of basics like a witches hat, a straw hat, cat ears, etc., really allows people to dress up in their own clothing and just grab the prop they need to finish their look.

This is something that I am not inclined to do personally, but I am happy that she does. If you have a group of friends or family members who this could benefit, maybe bring it up in conversation and see who can be the hub of holding the goodies.

Mode of Transport

Travel by Foot

It has become common in the small towns I’ve traveled to for trick-or-treating for families to drive door to door instead of walk. Not only is walking better for your health and in my opinion adds to the adventure and excitement of Halloween, but it’s also better for our environment.

Children may also benefit more from walking by getting their energy out throughout the evening, which ultimately benefits parents as well.

Travel by Bicycle

How fun would it be to have a group of friends riding through town on bikes together? You can make the bikes part of your costumes as well.

Some ideas where you could incorporate your bike into your costume:

  • Witches on bikes with bells.
  • Biker gang on bicycles. Is that hilarious or is it just me?
  • Dress your bikes up as emergency vehicles.

Conclusion

There are various ways to transition your Halloween into being a little more “green.” Take advantage of one or more of the ideas above whether it be your trick-or-treat offerings, your costumes, or your mode of travel and inspire those around you to do the same. Happy Halloween!

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