Halloween is one of our favorites—but it’s unfortunately not the most eco-friendly holiday and the thought of all of the potential plastic pollution gives us quite a fright! With thousands of children and families enjoying Halloween’s traditions, from costume making to trick (or trunk)-or-treating, the potential environmental impact of litter and consumption is HUGE. As a reminder—please make sure you have a safe Halloween by following social distancing and wearing a mask!
But fear not! We have four suggestions that will make this year’s Halloween more sustainable, and keep the waters of San Mateo County healthy and free of debris!
1. Hold on to your wrappers. When we’re out trick-or-treating, we may be tempted by the delicious morsels in our haul. As you and your family enjoy your treats on-the-go, please make sure those pesky wrappers don’t end up on the ground (which could ultimately find their way down a storm drain and into a nearby creek). A great tip is to wear something with zippered pockets or collect the wrappers in your tote, to secure any wayward candy wrappers until they can be properly disposed of in the trash. This will also ensure our neighborhood sidewalks and streets stay clean and beautiful.
2. ‘Recycle’ costumes! When photos last forever, and every Halloween requires a new look, A LOT of costumes end up getting worn once and discarded. Instead of tossing your costumes in the trash, or banishing them to a box in the basement, why not donate them to your local high school’s drama club, sell them online, give them to charity, or stuff ‘em and use them in your garden as scarecrows? Renting a costume is also a great idea (cheap, easy, and returnable)! Not in the mood to shop? Why not call friends and family to see if you can trade costumes that you both already have lying around. After all, one person’s trash is another’s treasure!
3. Get creative with trick-or-treat bags. Plastic jack-o-lanterns are always full of candy and dangling from hands-on Halloween. The problem? Plastic is brittle, and once broken, finds its way into landfills. Your Halloween haul deserves a bag strong enough to support the weight of all the delicious treats you’ll be getting! Better options to carry treats include pillowcases, reusable tote bags, and other reusable non-plastic bags. For an added twist, host a pillowcase decorating party the weekend before Halloween with a “Go Green” theme and watch all the creative things that kids come up with. That way, your candy bag—and minds—will be primed for an eco-friendly Halloween night.
4. Consider your candy. Halloween is not complete without treats, but there are ways to reduce your waste and select sustainable options! Keep our three Cs in mind when you’re making your treat selections.
- Consider packaging – When buying candy and other treats, think about buying them in bulk to minimize the use of packaging and wrapping. You can also check to see if the packaging is recyclable. By making these choices, we can reduce the amount of waste generated from candy wrappers.
- Choose fair-trade – For our cocoa lovers out there who plan to give out chocolates, check that your chocolate selection is fair trade. A fair trade certification lets you know that treats you are buying were made under humane working conditions and contribute to sustainable livelihoods for cocoa farmers.
- Check for organic labels – While they may be more expensive, organic goodies can also be great choices to pass out. They tend to have a smaller environmental footprint, and better, they’re made from products that don’t contain pesticides or other potentially harmful materials.
Do you have other creative suggestions to make Halloween more environmentally-friendly? We would love to hear from you! Please share your ideas with us at info@flowstobay.org.
