Go Green with Halloween Costumes!

Easy ways to Green Your Halloween Costumes!

Halloween.  It’s the most amazing festival!  Kids and adults alike enjoy Halloween tremendously – who doesn’t enjoy dressing up and being someone or something else for a night!  In fact, many people proclaim it to be their favourite festival!

When you add up the sales of Halloween costumes, candy, and decorations, it’s an industry worth almost $7 billion a year.  Isn’t that incredible?  $7 billion (yes, billion!) for one night, in the US alone!

But is Halloween an eco-friendly celebration?

Unfortunately, with that kind of consumption comes a massive environmental impact that lasts long after everyone’s got over their sugar high.

Halloween costumes alone account for a massive 6,500 tons of landfill waste each year in the US.    Just the costumes!

Then there’s all the candy wrappers, pumpkin shells, disposable plates……

So, here are EcoExpert’s best tips to make every aspect of Halloween green and eco-friendly.

Get ahead

One of the best things you can do this – and every – Halloween is to Plan Ahead.  If you leave your shopping until the last minute, you won’t have as many choices.   You could end up buying complete rubbish!

Costumes – Be Unique!

Do you rush out and buy new Halloween costumes for your child or grandchild every year?  And then they get thrown away, after just one use, right?

Or do you still have some of those adorable Halloween costumes in your attic or basement?  Make a plan to swap with other moms, perhaps even organise a small get-together and have a swap-meet.  Show your neighbourhood you care about reducing your demand and your landfill waste.

Look in your closet and get creative, or go to used clothing stores – often you can find unique bargains which you can then personalize.

Tip:  Do a quick search on the internet before to go, to get your creative juices flowing!

Then when you’re finished with the costumes, take them to the thrift store so they don’t take up space in your home, and someone else can use them next year.

Whether it’s for yourself or the kids or the grandkids, making your own Halloween costumes will Reduce your demand for new stuff, dent the consumerism of the holiday, and earn you more than a few impressed glances at the office party!

Halloween Costumes – New

If you want to buy a new Halloween costume, then make sure it’s safe and eco-friendly.

The hidden dangers and environmental impact of store-bought plastic Halloween costumes are particularly nasty.  Watch out for the soft vinyl – it’s similar to shower curtain material – in many mass-produced costumes – it’s probably polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which can release dangerous chemicals.  Not exactly something you want covering your face (or your child’s)–plus, it can’t be easily recycled.

Make Up / Face Paint

Simple makeup designs and hairstyles created with natural products can give your look extra impact. Face paints and some make-up products can be extremely toxic.  In general, products marked as Vegan are safe for delicate young skins – and your own.

Next:  Easy ways to green Trick or Treat (and save money)!

Also:  Green your Halloween Pumpkin  Have a Green Halloween Party

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