Have a green Halloween
Halloween is filled with creative costumes, creepy decorations and… lots of waste. In fact, it’s estimated that one pound of trash is produced from every trick-or-treater. Enjoy an eco-friendly Halloween this year by considering the following tips:
Costumes
Dressing up for Halloween is a tradition that can be traced back as far as the 15 century. However, today many costumes are only worn one time before being discarded. There are many ways to create sustainable costumes, including buying secondhand, using items already in your closest or hosting a costume swap with friends, family and neighbors.
Try this: If you’re stuck, dress like a character from one of your favorite movies or TV shows. Use items in your closet for a last-minute costume.
Decorations
Decorate your home with natural fall items, including corn stalks, pumpkins and squash. Once the holiday has passed, bring these items to a Ramsey County yard waste collection site for free. Make sure there are no string, ribbon or other decorations on the items.
You could also make a haunted home with items you already have, including string, cardboard, scissors and some creativity! Reuse materials like shipping boxes and plastic bags and correctly dispose of them after the holiday.
Try this: Cut out cardboard in the shapes of skeletons, bats and gravestones to hang by your windows. Reuse these decorations next year, or put them in your household recycling bin after.
Pumpkins
Jack-o’-lanterns are a Halloween staple, but don’t throw pumpkins in the trash afterwards. Instead, bring pumpkins without candles, paint, glitter or other decorations to a yard waste collection site and place them in the leaf pile (do not place them in the food scraps collection bins).
Try this: While carving pumpkins, remove the seeds and roast them for a delicious snack!
Reuse
After the festivities have ended and the candy has all been eaten, pack up costumes and decorations to use again next year. Better yet, try to find other uses for your decorations throughout the year.
Try this: Add Halloween costumes to a “dress-up bin” so they can be worn and enjoyed throughout the year.
This article is featured in Green Ramsey, an environmental health newsletter from Ramsey County.
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