An eco-friendly Halloween might sound impossible at first. With a handful of sustainable ideas, you can get the most out of this upcoming holiday with your family. Discover how Halloween affects the environment and what eco-friendly practices can help.
Growing up with siblings can be exciting during the holidays. Halloween is a fun time to get together and dress up as your favorite character.
Whether you’re planning to wear a balloon Halloween costume or not, you’ll need to think of creative ways to make this holiday a success for you and the family.
There’s been a lot of changes in the past years. Now more than ever families are focusing on sustainable options that go beyond Earth Day.
Is Halloween Bad For The Environment?
Halloween isn’t bad for the environment, per se. It’s the negligence of those who participate in the holiday events.
Although trick-or-treating with friends can be exciting, there’s also something to consider. Wrappers from candies are often found on the ground days after Halloween has come to an end.
How Does Halloween Affect The Environment?
Unfortunately, Halloween events generate plastic waste and contribute to pollution. You can focus on zero-waste practices to help minimize the amount of trash that is left behind from celebrations.
This begins with your choice of decorations, costume ideas, and more!
If you’re looking to improve the way you care for the environment, then Halloween is a great time to start.
Not only is there plastic in the wrappers, but there’s a lot of non-reusable products that are used in decorations and costumes as well.
How Can I Be More Eco-Friendly For Halloween?
To help improve this year’s gathering, you can do your part by implementing a number of eco-friendly Halloween tips:
- Pick up after yourself and others
Although it might sound like a simple task, it’s easier said than done. Sometimes you leave behind things or dispose of reusable items.
Old habits aren’t easy to break, but they can be worth breaking. If you decide to eat a piece of candy and can’t find a garbage can in sight, it’s best to keep the wrapper until you can properly dispose of it.
- Skip the bags
Plastic bags are a thing of the past for trick-or-treating. Not only do they break through when you’ve collected a good amount of candy, but they’re not always reusable.
Make use of the pillowcases you have at home and get out there. Pillow cases are perfect because they are readily-available to you and can be reused and recycled as a cleaning rag.
- Use recyclable materials and objects for decorations
Did you know that 80% of the ocean’s pollution comes from the land?
Balloons might be a great idea for family and friends to throw around, but with time balloon decorations deflate and can become hazardous to your community.
Choosing eco-friendly options for gatherings is key to helping the environment. You can choose various sustainable decorations such as clothing, solar-powered lights, rope and other materials found in or around your home.
You can opt for real, locally grown pumpkins to decorate your home and can use in dishes for your family later on.
- Prepare a zero-waste menu
If you’re planning to host family and friends, then do your best to avoid plastic cutlery as part of your tablescape.
You can also skip one-time-use plates. Reuse the plates in your home and be sure to help others understand the value in recycling in your community.
Metal straws are a great alternative to plastic or cardboard straws. If you like the look and feel of cardboard ones, there are biodegradable straws on Amazon.
- Cook your own meal
Plan dishes that are easy to prepare at home and have less packaging as well as preservatives.
This option makes it easier for you to eat healthier and wow your guests with original treats for them to enjoy.
Do your best to not bring out all the food at once. Let your guests eat the dishes that are out before bringing any other plate.
This helps avoid spoiling and messes from little hands.
- Create a plan for leftovers.
Whether it’s sweets or dishes from your event, you’ll want to think twice about how it’ll be used after your guests have left your home.
- Eco-Friendly Halloween Treats
Fruits and popcorn are good alternatives to candy this Halloween. However, not everyone appreciates getting these items while trick-or-treating.
If you’re looking for a healthier and sustainable alternative to the candies available at the store, then I recommend looking into organic lollipops and vegan gummies.
These make great options for kids who like eating sweet treats and most organic and vegan brands often use eco-friendly packaging.
Organic and vegan candies can get expensive. You can also try creating goodie bags or baking your own treats for your trick-or-treaters.
Final Thoughts On An Eco-Friendly Halloween
The goal for any holiday spent with family and friends is to enjoy the time together. No matter how you decide to celebrate this year, it’s important to create those memories.
Do your best to implement a handful of these ideas so future generations will be able to appreciate the holiday as well.
9 responses to “Eco-Friendly Halloween Tips For The Family”
Thanks so much for sharing these tips! I love Halloween, but I’ve never once stopped to think about how it might impact the environment.
I have pumpkins growing in my compost pile. So they will be used for Halloween.
I think it’s important to think of the environment all the time. We have to be more mindful!
I like the idea of using pillowcases as loot bags! Why did I not think of that before? I will remember these tips for Halloween this year… if kids are allowed to go out to actually do trick or treat.
Great tips here for being more eco-friendly, I love the pillow case idea instead of using bags. Such a simple idea but something I had not thought of
I love these ideas. Eco-friendly bags and decorations are fantastic. I never really thought about just how much waste decorations create.
I’m not huge on Halloween decorating and the like, but these ideas are very good.
Really great tips here for having a clean Halloween. I keep the decor to a minimum and the pumpkins always fresh. Thanks for sharing!
These are some great tips for being eco-friendly for Halloween. I know I personally recommend having a Halloween tote bag and using the same bag every year for trick or treating.