Halloween Waste
Dressing up for Halloween and carving out your pumpkin lanterns are popular ways to celebrate, but the waste we create for this fright fest could be the most haunting fact of all.
Here are some scary facts and ways you can make Halloween more of a treat than a trick for the planet.
Ghoulish Gourds
Looking for a scare? A terrifying 14.5 million pumpkins are expected to be left uneaten this Halloween in the UK according to Hubbub. Just under half of people (47%) still don’t know that pumpkins on sale in supermarkets are totally edible with only a third of consumers cooking what is left over after carving.
Top tips for a reduced waste Halloween at home
- Why not get crafty and make your own decorations this Halloween? Milk bottles could become ghosts (and then be recycled), paper decorations can be hung in the windows (and then be recycled).
- Fa-BOO-lous decorations don't have to be store-bought. Homemade decorations not only make a great family activity, but can be more cost effective and environmentally sound than buying them from the shops. With 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste generated from Halloween annually, why not cut the waste and try getting creative using common household items instead.
- Carving pumpkins are edible. The seeds and pulp of carving pumpkins can be eaten, but more than half of the UK (59%) don’t realise this, resulting in more than 12 million carving pumpkins being wasted every year.
- There’s no need to be frightened of making a Halloween costume, because it's easier than people think and it avoids the need to buy new. For example, sketch a skeleton onto black clothes using chalk, which can then be sponged off, washed and worn again. This can help prevent textile waste and cut down on the monster-ous seven million costumes that are thrown away every year.
- If you are having a spooktastic family evening, avoid using disposable plates and cutlery and use reusable ones instead.
- Dressing up in spooky costumes is a key part of Halloween, now's the perfect time to have a route around in the wardrobe or in the loft to see what outfit you could upcycle or adapt to make Looking for a fancy dress costume? Take a trip down to the charity shop and see what your imagination can create!
- And for your all hallows tasty treats why not go packaging free by making your own cakes and biscuits.
Donate unwanted paint at Beeston, Calverton, Newark and Warsop recycling centres.
