SPOOKY BUT SUSTAINABLE… HOW TO HAVE AN ECO FRIENDLY HALLOWEEN
Ghouls, ghosts and things that go bump in the night. Halloween is a scary time of year. But one of the scariest things about the witching season is waste.
According to Hubbub, last year 15 million pumpkins were thrown away, carved but uneaten. That is around about £27.6 million worth of food going to waste. Our sustainability expert Sarah Walkley looks at ways to have all of the fright, but be light on the planet.
Pimp your pumpkin
We automatically think of carving a pumpkin, but why not draw a scary face on it instead? Or maybe stick things on to it like you would with a Mr Potato Head. It means you avoid the mess, and the flesh will stay fresh until after Halloween, so that you can then eat your pumpkin.
When selecting your pumpkin, perhaps go for a slightly smaller pumpkin. They tend to taste better, and you can keep some of the seeds to try growing your own next year.
Make your own
Where possible make your own costumes and decorations rather than buying them. Old tights with holes that are starting to run make convincing spider’s webs, as do the nets that are used to pack satsumas and lemons. Cereal packets can be painted to look like gravestones or turned into the cone of a witch’s hat.
And a quick rummage at the back of the cupboard or a visit to a charity store is bound to turn up an over-sized black t-shirt that can be turned into a witch’s dress or old clothes that can be destressed into a zombie outfit.
Swap meet
You don’t have to be a potential finalist in The Great British Sewing Bee to make your own (the costumes are meant to be scary after all). But if creating a costume still feels a bit too daunting, why not hold a swap meet? Get out your old costumes from previous years. Invite friends to do the same and have a fun afternoon trying them all on. They may have something you can borrow.
Trick or treat
If you are planning to give out treats to appease the scary folk that come knocking at your door, try to buy local products or ones that have good sustainability credentials. Look for the Fairtrade logo or the Soil Association’s organic certification to ensure that you are buying sweets and chocolates that have been responsibly sourced.
Alternatively, bake and decorate some scary shortbread to hand out to your friends.
The most sustainable costumes and decorations will always be the ones that you already have. So when the Halloween fun is over, pack away any treat buckets, decorations or costumes that you have bought. Imagine what a fright you will have next year when you open the box!
Sarah Walkley is a freelance writer and researcher on a mission to empower everyone to play their part in addressing climate change and nature loss.
She set up Purplefully to help organisations develop their sustainability strategy and communication.
