It’s a truly scary time of the year

And I’m not just talking about the Sanderson sisters hitting our screens

History of halloween

Halloween is ‘celebrated’ on 31st October, and we see many kids (and adults) wearing fancy dress, running house to house receiving chocolate and sweets, wearing an assortment of adorable, fun or downright scary costumes, parties and watching scary movies.

Did you know, the tradition of Halloween originated with an ancient Celtic festival welcoming in the harvest and darker days, called Samhain. People would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. They believed the barriers between worlds was weakest on this night, and left offerings outside villages and in fields.

In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III assigned 1st November as the time to honour all saints, which soon incorporated some of the traditions from Samhain. Thus All Hallows Eve came about, and evolved into Halloween - the day we all now associate with Hocus Pocus and Trick or Treating. Find out more about the history of Halloween HERE.

The scary truth

The threat of meeting crazy old uncle Donald isn’t the scariest part of Halloween anymore though. The sheer amount of waste leaves a spooky taste in the mouth…

Did you know, every year over 18,000 tonnes of edible pumpkin waste is generated over Halloween in the UK? And pumpkins are grown for size not taste for these?
In the UK in 2020, Brits bought 24 million pumpkins…and threw over 13 million of those away
3 in 5 people in the UK don’t know carving pumpkins are edible
1 / 4 of confectionary is bought on Halloween in the USA alone
A study by environmental charity Hubbub and the Fairyland Trust found Halloween outfits produce 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste. To put that in context, it is about the same as 83 million bottles
In 2016 it was estimated that 7 million Halloween outfits were discarded in the UK and in 2019, UK environmental group Hubbub found in an investigation 83% of costume materials were oil-based and more than likely to end up in landfill
In the USA, about 68% of people would buy new costumes for the night costing $3.4 billion. More that 175 million people ‘celebrate’ Halloween in the states which means 119 million costumes purchased
Even if costumes were kept, washing synthetic material releases tiny plastic microfibres which end up in our rivers and oceans
On average, 1 single trick or treater generates 1 pound of rubbish each year. Times that number by the 41 million kids who take part in the US alone and you have a lot of rubbish generated just for 1 night
In the USA, $2.36 billion is spent every year on Halloween decorations!

Sustainable treats

There are some simple tricks we can do, to ensure more sustainable treats this Halloween. Check them out below for a greener Halloween!

Save the seeds to grow your own pumpkin for next year!
Join in with the #EatYourPumpkin campaign by Hubbub and host a Pumpkin Party! You could even host a pumpkin decorating party before
Hire, reuse, borrow or make costumes at home
Host a Halloween Costume clothing swap with friends or work colleagues
If you aren’t going out to trick or treat, why not create a hide and seek inspired version at home - with treats such as homemade cookies / biscuits or plastic free chocolate, and tricks such as fun little activities. You could even create a treasure map for your kids to follow with tasks they need to do in order to get the next clue such as write a Halloween poem or pretend to be a ghost
Decorate your pumpkin with sweets, edible glue, icing, toilet paper, edible paints, sticking leaves on. The options are endless!
Use pillowcases or old bags to collect treats - you can decorate them in advance to add your own personal spoooooky twist!
Hygiene is still important so why not separate your treats on a flat tray in piles to reduce sticky fingers touching different treats or pop them into muffin trays. Don’t forget to sanitise your hands when setting it all up / adding more treats.
Give homemade treats or a bundle of colouring pencils (found this idea from @thegreenmum who has great tips too). Just remember to stay safe when picking these up / handling them and sanitise them when home.
For a healthier and fun treat, decorate oranges as treats for kids (handy packaging!) or even potatoes!
If leaving out chocolate or sweet treats, try to buy ones without plastic wrapping - cardboard, foil or paper options would be great.
Reduce pumpkin waste by composting it, making pumpkin risotto, chips or pie from the insides or cut up flesh, making a cake and roasting the seeds. Find some great tips for making the most of your pumpkin HERE
Save pumpkins - check out the shops after Halloween and pick up any unwanted ones to make extra food! Don’t let them go to waste.
Check out the Hubbub #PumpkinRescue campaign to find ways you can help limit pumpkin waste
Did you know Terracycle has a confectionary sweet wrapper drop off - save those wrappers and find out more HERE
Alternatively, why not invest with some friends or neighbours in an all in one recycling box for Terracycle or First Mile for wrappers, and get rid of some of those other bits you haven’t managed to at the same time? That broken hanger or that broken pair of headphones you have in that drawer you never open for example…

I will be working on a blog with sustainable party tips for the party season so stay tuned!

Happy Sustainable Halloween!

Cathy x

Make Spooky Season Sustainable

History of halloween

The scary truth

Sustainable treats