More and more people are taking part in Halloween in the UK each year, but the scariest thing about October 31st is the waste. With so many people now concerned about environmental issues, many are looking for ways to make Halloween more eco-friendly, and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) UK has provided some helpful suggestions below.
1. Say no to plastic
Many of the Halloween decorations and accessories found in stores and online are made from plastic, most of which cannot be recycled. You can ditch the plastic trick or treat buckets by using paper or canvas bags instead. If you are planning some Halloween celebrations, then switching out for plastic-free decorations is a great step. You can now find many more sustainable Halloween decorations made from wood or paper, which are reusable/recyclable and budget friendly. Just remember to make sure they are FSC-certified! Here are some examples:
Paint your own pumpkins – Flying Tiger
Spider decorations – Flying Tiger
Halloween garland – Flying Tiger
Honeycomb pumpkin decorations – Talking Tables
Pumpkin garland – Talking Tables
Halloween cards – Card Factory
2. Reuse your old costumes
Millions of poor-quality, fast fashion Halloween costumes are mass-produced every year. Many of these are made from unsustainable materials, such as polyester (a type of plastic). What is worse is that they’re often only worn once and then packed into the attic, only to be thrown away in the next clear out. For a green Halloween costume, make costumes out of old clothes or you can extend the life of the costumes you already have by re-wearing them or by having a costume swap with friends and family. If you do have any unwanted costumes, sell them online so others can make use of them.
3. Make your own
If you are feeling creative or are looking for Halloween activities for children, a quick Ecosia search will bring up countless tutorials for easy DIY Halloween decorations such as paper garlands, tissue-paper ghosts and print-out templates to make your own masks. Just don’t forget to use FSC-certified or recycled paper!
If you are short of time or not up for Halloween crafts, there are many sustainable Halloween decorations that are effortless. You can use fallen branches and leaves as decorations or dress up your house and garden with pumpkins and squashes (just make sure you don’t leave them out too long so you can’t eat them!).
These are just a few sustainable Halloween ideas to get you started. If you are looking for wooden or paper Halloween decorations, or materials for your Halloween crafting, keep an eye out for the FSC logo, letting you know they’re responsibly sourced.
