How to do a plastic free Halloween

As a self-proclaimed Halloween aficionado, I felt it was my responsibility to write this post. Halloween is my second favorite holiday (after Christmas, of course). I trick-or-treated until a ridiculous age because who doesn’t love dressing up and getting free candy? Not to mention with things like haunted houses, scary movies, and the Monster Mash, there are practically endless reasons to love Halloween. The only problem is the seemingly endless amount of waste created from the candy wrappers to the cheap costumes you will literally never wear again. It may seem overwhelming but it is possible to do a plastic free Halloween and still have a blast, trust me I’m an expert.

Candy
Candy is arguably the biggest offender. You’re either trick-or-treating for it or buying it. Choose candy that’s packaged in paper boxes or foil wrappers that way you can recycle the packaging once you’re done eating it. As long as there’s no food residue, you’re good to go. If you’re the one giving out the treats, consider giving something besides candy away that way kids will use it more than once and won’t have to throw away a wrapper. My family gave out Play Doh one year (which yes is packaged in plastic but at least gets more than one use) and it was a huge hit. The neighborhood still talks about it.

Costumes
Not only are they packaged in a ridiculous amount of plastic but a lot of the costumes in stores are poor quality and made from oil-based plastic. Opt instead to make a homemade costume from what you already have in your wardrobe or what you can find at a local thrift store. You can also swap costumes with friends from a previous Halloween. Bonus points since this one requires extra creativity, is more fun than buying a pre-made costume anyway, and will save you money.

Decorations
First is always use what you already have. Don’t tell me you don’t have any Halloween decorations. Choose wood or metal materials if you’re buying and make sure they’re high enough quality to be used year after year. Another option is to make your own. Carving pumpkins is quintessentially Halloween. Paper and cardboard can be upcycled into spooky fall décor.

No matter what your favorite Halloween tradition is, there is a way to do without using plastic. What’s your favorite Halloween tradition?