Spooky, sustainable Halloween tips!
At Ridwell, we believe that a whole lot of people doing their best for the planet is what makes the difference. It’s kind of baked into who we are. There’s no time like the holidays, where many of us share common traditions, to examine the things we do each year and think about how we can all do our part to waste less — while having the same fun together.
Halloween is just around the corner, and with it, a lot of opportunities to cut waste. We checked in with Ridwell member Casey Ailes, a photographer, author and super-mom to two eco-superhero kids, Oscar and Adelie, to share some of her favorite Halloween tips and swaps!
1) Use foil wrapped or sustainable packaging candies
Plastic packaging on Halloween candies can make a guilty pleasure even guiltier - it’s a huge contributor to plastic waste from the holiday. If you’re expecting trick-or-treaters this year, look for candy options that come in more sustainable packaging, such as aluminum foil or cardboard. There are plenty of yummy and cute options out there!
Image courtesy of Casey Ailes
2) Decorate with pumpkins and make sure to compost them
Pumpkins and gourds are not only iconic, they are biodegradable, so they are a great item to decorate with for the holidays — as long as they end up in the right place when all the fun of carving them is over. The US Dept. of Energy estimates that 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins end up in the landfill each year once spooky season has ended! That’s a scary amount of gourds gone to waste, and contributing to methane emissions from landfills.
If you’re decorating with pumpkins or other natural materials, be sure to compost them so they can become food for healthy soil instead!
Image courtesy of Casey Ailes
3) Make a cute orange or mandarin jack o lantern for a sustainable trick or treat goodie
Pumpkins aren’t the only ones that get to have fun being orange this season! Mini oranges or mandarins make great, healthier treats for trick-or-treaters or your own kiddos, and you can decorate the skin with markers to make as spooky of a face as any jack-o’-lantern. Plus, they taste a whole lot better than a pumpkin, if you ask me :)
Image courtesy of Casey Ailes
4) DIY Halloween decorations and avoid buying plastic ones.
There are loads of sustainable DIY projects online to bring Halloween festivity to to your home, but one of my favorite ones to make are lanterns made from repurposed jars you have around the house (pasta sauce, honey, peanut butter... you buy all of this in glass right?!).
Image courtesy of Casey Ailes
Here are a few quick steps to making your own!
You will need: (please use what you have)
Paint
Paper
Glue
Paint those beautiful jars.
Let it dry a wee bit.
Glue fun shapes on the outside.
Light it up! We used a soy wax candle but there are so many wonderful Eco options available to light them up, or simply let them shine on their own and skip the fire worries.
5) Be creative with your costume and use clothes that can be worn later
One of the biggest contributors to plastic waste at Halloween is costumes that get worn once and head straight to the landfill. Use pajamas or solid-colored clothing to create the look you’re going for sustainably — plus, who can deny the comfort of hanging out in jammies?
Image courtesy of Casey Ailes
With a little imagination, our holidays can be much more sustainable celebrations than the ones we grew up with. Share this post with your friends looking for sustainable Halloween inspiration, and don’t forget to check out The Adventures of Oscar and Adelie for more superhero adventures and eco-tips!
