by Federica Cardamone

Although it’s my favorite holiday, Halloween is not traditionally sustainable. Thinking about the millions of people buying brand-new treats, decorations, and costumes all for a single day is enough to make the former Environmental Studies major in me shriek in horror. However, with a few simple swaps, the holiday can actually be made low-to-zero-waste, depending on your level of commitment, amount of “stuff” you already have on hand, and access to stores/materials.

Costumes

In order to be completely zero-waste, you can create a costume out of clothing and accessories you already own. Some ideas for this type of costume are fictional characters, animals, and celebrities, but the classic white-sheet ghost is always a good option — luckily, I have an old white sheet in my closet so this is my costume this year. 

If I didn’t have anything I felt I could work with, then my next step would be to ask around my friend group to see if anyone had something I could borrow. If you have a specific costume in mind that you or friends don’t already own pieces for, then I definitely recommend browsing your local thrift store, or even looking on a digital platform like Depop, thredUP, Poshmark, Ebay, etc. Two years ago, I found a witch’s hat at a thrift store near my apartment and paired it with a black dress for a simple-yet-effective costume that I’ll have as a back-up for years to come.

Decorations

As long as you are able to reuse decorations each year, most of these can be made zero-waste regardless of material. However, the ideal is definitely decorations made of materials that can either be recycled or, better yet, composted. If you or anyone in your household drink milk, a cute idea is using the old cartons to make skeletons, spider webs, or anything else that requires a bit more structure. Along the same lines, old cereal boxes can be used to make similar decorations or even tombstones or bats for a yard. 

Now let’s talk about pumpkins — you really can’t do Halloween without them. Luckily, as a vegetable, pumpkins are compostable. So long as you carve, rather than paint your pumpkins, you’re free to compost them when Halloween is over. If you don’t have a compost system, you can chop the pumpkin up into pieces and bury it in your yard or take the pumpkin to a compost facility near you. For my fellow New Yorkers, the Union Square GreenMarket has a great compost drop-off location. Pro tip: don’t throw away the seeds when you hollow out your pumpkin! Instead, bake them with some spices for a yummy snack. 

Candy 

Candy is a major source of Halloween waste that is pretty hard to avoid while trick-or-treating. However, as far as your own household goes, there are many ways to decrease the amount of trash you’re putting out into the world. Shopping in the bulk section of grocery stores, buying organic and non-GMO candy, and opting for products like raisins that are packaged in paper rather than plastic are all great ways to reduce waste in the candy-department. If you do pick up a lot of candy throughout the night or have some leftover from your own stash, try using them to spice up baked goods throughout the year. Chopping up anything chocolate-y and using it in place of chocolate chips in recipes is a go-to for me in the weeks following Halloween, leading up to other major holidays.  

Although this could be expensive depending on what you have on hand, leaving something other than candy out for trick-or-treaters can be a cool deviation from the norm. Last year, one of my friends left crystals out which people seemed to love as they were all gone by the end of the night. Granted, she lives in Williamsburg, but something other than crystals could work just as well. 

Miscellaneous

This year, we probably won’t be doing as much trick-or-treating as we otherwise would, but if you do still need something to hold your candy, swap the usual disposable plastic pumpkin buckets for something you already have on hand like a tote bag or even a pillow case. If you have kids but are trying to remain COVID-safe, a fun idea could be setting up different trick-or-treat stations around your house and giving them tote bags to put their treats in as they travel from station to station. Otherwise, create a zoom meeting and invite all of your best friends for a spooky virtual Halloween party. Some ideas for an online party are a costume contest, scary movie watch-party, or Halloween-themed bingo. 

When all is said and done, sustainability on the part of the consumer is not enough to completely turn Climate Change on its head. As our world currently functions, sustainable living is very much a privilege and depends on access to eco-friendly products and stores. We need action from large corporations who do the most damage and legislation that demands it - however, taking the steps available to you to reduce your carbon footprint and effectively show your values through what you’re purchasing are great ways to do your part in the sustainability space.