Make your Halloween better for the environment with these 4 tips.

In 2019, a study by The Fairyland Trust found that 83% of Halloween costume is made from oil-based plastic, particularly polyester. It predicted that these costumes would lead to 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste (that’s equivalent to 83 million plastic water bottles) per year in the UK going straight to landfills. 

Combine that with all the countries that celebrate Halloween, and the plastic waste from sweets, decorations, synthetic wigs and plastic pumpkin tubs… we don’t even want to think about what that number would look like!

There are lots of ways that we can reduce this figure though, and still have a seriously spooky halloween. So, here’s Goodfind’s 5 ways to make your Halloween celebrations just a bit better for the environment.

Get your creativity flowing and make your own Halloween decorations this year from things you find around the house. Drink milk? Empty milk cartons can become little ghost lanterns, and old tights make spooky spider webs. Because what is Halloween without a spider, right!

Everyone’s gotta have candy on Halloween. This year try some planet-friendly chocolates. One of our personal favs is Doisy and Dam, delicious, fairtrade, vegan chocolate made from ethically sourced ingredients, so no palm oil!

Typically, Halloween costumes are worn once and then replaced… and they are pretty expensive! Of course, we all want to outdo our last year's outfit, but we don’t have to buy new to look new. Check out your local charity shops or reselling apps like Vinted or Nuw to get your outfit this year. You could even swap with friends or (back to no.1) make something at home.

It’s not Halloween without a jack-o-lantern obvs. But they don’t have to be pumpkins - you can make them out of any veg you can find, the wonkier, bumpier and bruised the creepier! Whenever spooky veg you go for, make sure to repurpose it! Turning your pumpkin pulp into a yummy pumpkin pie and roast the seeds to make nutritional snacks. Oh, and don’t forget to compost that jack o lantern when November hits!

Living sustainably can be tough, so don’t let it get to you. It only takes each one of us doing our best to make a difference! Follow the three-R-rule (reduce, reuse, recycle) when trying to make ethical decisions this Halloween. And most of all, happy Halloween witches!

Words by Leonie Carver