Stay Environmentally Friendly This Halloween!
Halloween has become one of the UK's most celebrated holidays but is leaving us with a scary amount of waste that is going to come back and haunt us one day!
When it comes to the holiday season, no matter what holiday, people tend to forget about the waste impact these days have on our planet. To make sure your Halloween isn't having a genuinely terrifying effect on the environment, we have put together some top tips to bear in mind this Hallows Eve!
- Repurpose your pumpkin!
Pumpkins are a significant contributor to waste during Halloween, with most ending up in the bin after October 31st! But did you know every single part of the pumpkin can be recycled!
- Don’t paint your pumpkin, carve the face out, this will ensure your pumpkin will be edible.
- Cook the seeds in the oven, adding some spices for more flavour! They make for a great snack or addition to your salad.
- Start a new tradition, use the insides of the pumpkin and make a delicious soup, cake, or even a coconut pumpkin curry!
- Cut the pumpkin in half and put it outside for the neighbourhood animals to feast on.
- Light your pumpkins with beeswax candles, instead of soy or paraffin-based waxes. Beeswax candles will ensure your pumpkin stays organic and suitable to put into the compose.
- DON’T put your pumpkin in the trash! Cut up the remaining bits and put it into the compose, use it for your garden or find a local pumpkin collection.
- Have a Green Party
If you are thinking of throwing a party this year, challenge yourself to make it as green as possible!
- Make the theme recycled costumes! Nearly 7 million costumes are thrown away each year, request your guest to rehash old costumes or to get creative with items they already have!
- Instead of Styrofoam plates, have compostable plates made from renewable sources. If your party is small enough, use your household plates and do an extra load of dishes.
- Keep recycling bins easily accessible to avoid plastics, paper or glass being put in the trash.
- Buy local foods and foods without the plastic wrap! If you have leftover at the end of the night use, tupperware containers or beeswax wraps to store your treats!
- Decorations
Decorations can cause a lot of extra unnecessary waste. There are tons of DIY decorations you can do yourself to help minimise rubbish this Halloween.
- Use natural products like pumpkins, leaves, sticks and gourds to create an autumnal look.
- Create spider webs from synthetic wool, that you can then wrap back up and use for something else later.
- Find items around the house and have a craft day with the kids! There are tons of ways to make awesome decorations from things around the house like wine bottles, toilet rolls, bottle caps and milk cart, check out this Pinterest board for tons of DIY ideas!
A whopping 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics have been produced on Earth since the 1950’s – that’s enough plastic to cover every inch of the UK, ankle-deep, more than ten times over.
We are at a critical time in history where we have to be more conscious about how we are affecting the planet. We need to educate ourselves on what actions need to be taken to help prevent more damage! We hope this blog has gotten you thinking about what steps you can not only this Halloween but in everyday life, to help secure the future of our planet!
