Green Your Halloween: 8 Ways to Celebrate a Waste-Free Halloween

Do you enjoy celebrating Halloween?

Most of my friends and family still get a kick out of the wild and witchy rituals associated

with this holiday.

Sure, Halloween is a fun and festive holiday, but holidays certainly can get wasteful.

Think about it.

Typically, Halloween celebrations involve themed decorations that get thrown out such

as straw bales and pumpkins.

And think of all those plastic masks and candy wrappers!

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

If we just take the time to educate ourselves and others about easy ways to make

Halloween celebrations waste-free and more environmentally-friendly, we can make

a significant impact.

Most of all, we’ll be teaching good green habits to our children!

8 Ways to Have a Waste-Free Halloween

Green Your Halloween: 8 Ways to Celebrate a Waste-Free Halloween

Here are some tips to help you have a greener, waste-free Halloween.

#1. Eat the Pumpkin Seeds

Save the seeds of the pumpkin you use for your jack-o-lantern.

When you scoop out the pumpkin flesh to make the lantern, save the seeds.

They are full of nutrients and have many health benefits.

Do not wash them, but separate them from the stringy pulp with your fingers

and spread them out on newspaper to dry.

Then you can roast and salt them, or eat them raw.

You can also make pumpkin seed milk or smoothies.

#2. Eat the Pumpkin’s Flesh

The canned pumpkin so popular for pies was once pumpkin flesh.

You can make your own pies, soups, stews, casseroles, breads, and other dishes using

actual pumpkin flesh.

#3. Opt for Sustainable Costumes

Choose sustainable options for costumes over disposable ones, which can be wasteful.

Children wear them once, usually for just a few hours, then toss them out.

-Try renting costumes instead.

-Go to your local second-hand store (such as Goodwill) and purchase a costume there,

or buy clothing to improvise a costume.

-If you do buy a new costume or make one, pass it on to someone or give it to charity.

That’s how the costumes get to Goodwill in the first place!

#4. Use Recycled Materials for Decorations

Green Your Halloween: 8 Ways to Celebrate a Waste-Free Halloween

You can cut spooky shapes out of the sides of paper bags, put sand in the bottom, and

insert a candle.

This makes festive luminaries for trick-or-treaters.

Make spooky shapes from materials you have around your home.

Raid your recycling bin and get creative!

#5. Green your Treats

Treats and candies wrapped individually generate a lot of trash.

-Buy candy in bulk or make your own treats.

Then package them yourself in reusable containers, such as mini glass jars or little

decorative boxes.

-Give non-candy treats, like mini art supplies, inexpensive jewelry, or temporary tattoos.

#6. Green your Trick or Treat Containers

Use reusable bags or containers when trick-or-treating.

Children can make their own treat containers from used buckets, shopping bags, or

other containers.

They can even make their own cloth bags.

#7. Carve Decorative Jack-o-Lanterns

Want to create cool jack-o-lanterns that delight your family and friends?

Use these free patterns to carve fun and fancy jack-o-lanterns.

#8. Compost your Jack-O-Lantern

Rather than throwing the pumpkin shell in the trash after you’ve used the seeds and

flesh, recycle the spent jack-o-lantern by composting it.

 

What are you doing to reduce waste when you celebrate Halloween?

Share your thoughts and comments with us.

 

“PIN & SHARE”

Green Your Halloween: 8 Ways to Celebrate a Waste-Free Halloween - If we just take the time to educate ourselves and others about easy ways to make Halloween celebrations waste-free and more environmentally-friendly, we can make a significant impact. Most of all, we'll be teaching good green habits to our children! #green #ecofriendly #greenhalloween #ecofriendlyhalloween #pumpkins #wastefreehalloween

 

 

“Shared on Motivation Monday”

“Shared at Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party”

“Shared on Click and Chat Social Media Party”

“Shared at The Wednesday Roundup”