Having an eco-friendly Halloween is a great way to celebrate the holiday while minimizing your impact on the environment. There are quite a few ways that you can make things a little greener, and holidays are a good way to make some swaps.
Here are some ideas to consider.
Costumes
Instead of buying a new costume, consider reusing or repurposing items you already have at home to create a costume. You could also make costumes from recycled materials.
Shop at thrift stores or consignment shops for costumes and accessories, which helps reduce demand for new items and extends the life of existing ones. You can also look online on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and other used marketplaces.
Decorations
Halloween decorations are an easy way to go eco-friendly this season.
Use natural elements like pumpkins, gourds, leaves, and pine cones for decorations. After halloween, they can be composted or returned to nature. Skip plastic decor and consider alternatives like fabrics and felted decor.
Create your own decorations from recycled materials or items you have at home.
If you use lights for decoration, opt for LED lights, which use less energy and last longer.
Save your decorations so you can use them from year to year.
Treats
Purchase candy in bulk to reduce excessive packaging.
Choose treats that are organic and fair-trade certified to support sustainable and ethical practices.
Consider offering non-food treats like small toys, stickers, or pencils to reduce the consumption of sugary treats. Also consider items that are eco-friendly, such as useful items versus small plastic toys that are likely to get thrown away.
Party Supplies
Use reusable plates, cups, and utensils instead of disposable ones. You can also find some great compostable options.
Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones.
Choose reusable decorations that can be used year after year.
Pumpkins
Instead of throwing away your carved pumpkin, consider using it in cooking or baking.
For pumpkins you don’t plan on using for food afterwards, you can compost it.
You can also find places like farm to donate it for farm animals to eat.
Transportation
If you are attending or hosting a Halloween event, encourage carpooling to reduce carbon emissions.
If possible, walk to nearby trick-or-treating destinations instead of driving.
Natural Scents
If you choose to use scents in your home, opt for natural scents without synthetic fragrances. There are lots of great ways to make your home filled with cozy fall scents, such as essential oils or mulled cider. Some ideas include Young Living Thieves Essential Oil, Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil, Nutmeg Essential Oil, or a combination of oils.
Face Paint and Makeup
Make your own face paint using natural ingredients to avoid commercial products with potentially harmful chemicals.
Choose makeup products that are cruelty-free and have environmentally friendly packaging.
Support Local
Instead of buying pumpkins from large retailers, visit local pumpkin patches and farms. Pumpkins are often shipped from coast to coast, and have a large carbon footprint. There are lots of fall items that can be found locally, such as corn stalks, pumpkins, gourds, mums, and more.
Purchase Halloween treats from local bakeries or businesses to support your community.
Education
Use Halloween as an opportunity to educate others, especially children, about the importance of reducing waste and protecting the environment.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Remember to reduce, reuse, and recycle where possible.
Remember, small changes can add up to make a big impact. By incorporating eco-friendly practices into your Halloween celebrations, you can enjoy the holiday while also contributing to a more sustainable future.
These are all great ideas! I especially love buying the candy in bulk. I live in a busy neighborhood, so that will help cut down on packaging and expense.
I think these are awesome ideas. It’s actually a lot easier to celebrate Halloween sustainably than I would have thought.
All the holidays are typically not eco friendly. People throw away landfills worth of stuff. It’s time to start being more conscious of the environment during holidays.
All of these are great ideas! I am big on reusing old costume & costume pieces, we have two big boxes in our garage of costume pieces we’ve re-used quite a bit. Not only do we use the costume pieces, but some of our other family members like my mom and step-dad borrow them sometimes too on Halloween. Great way to reduce & also save $$$ every year.
I love Halloween and homemade costumes are the best! Never thought of making my own makeup. I’ll give that a try!
These are all fabulous ideas to enjoy the Halloween festivities with a more eco-friendly focus. Heading to thrift stores for costumes is brilliant!
This is awesome, its time to prepare for Halloween and have an eco-friendly one. Informative post!
There are so many great tips here, and I’m loving them all. Thank you so much for sharing
I love these ideas! Halloween is a fun holiday, but it’s also important to be mindful of our environmental impact. Making small changes to celebrate in a more eco-friendly way not only helps the planet but can also inspire others to do the same. It’s incredible how a few simple swaps can make a big difference, and it’s an excellent opportunity to get creative and have fun with it, too! I’m excited to see what eco-friendly Halloween ideas people come up with this year.
Absolutely LOVE this!! The more eco the better and you have shared some really good ideas x
Hhhmmm….these are great pointers for engaging in eco-friendly Halloweens! I’ve picked up the cues of the scents.
These are such great tips! I try to limit my carbon footprint wherever I can, but I never thought about how I might be able to do that with Halloween. Now I’m thinking about all the other Holidays, too!
These are all really great and very helpful tips to ensure that my family are going to have a Eco-friendly Halloween!
Our goal is always to reuse as much as possible from one year to the next. We do purchase plastic decorations, but we try to get ones that are more heavy duty that we can store and use next year.
Perfect eco friendly tips for enjoying the Halloween holiday. I like the idea of using natural elements like pumpkins, gourds, leaves, and pine cones for decorations.
I like the idea of eco-friendly holidays. Definitely, we will visit pumpkin farms in a couple of weeks. And this year, we will do DIY costumes for kids.
Yes! A couple of years ago, I sold my fall decor in lieu of purchasing fresh/real pieces each year. It’s less to store, and I love picking out pumpkins and gourds each season.