Tips For a Sustainable Halloween
It’s time for a bit of deathly fun
But not at the expense of our
very much alive planet!
Here are a few tips on how to enjoy a more sustainable Halloween.
It’s been said that millions of the multi millions of items of clothing sent to UK landfill are made up of Halloween costumes, many of which are worn once and thrown away.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Visit a charity shop, get creative with what you have at home, or borrow a friend’s outfit.
Eat Your Pumpkin!
It’s estimated that 15 million pumpkins will be carved but not eaten this Halloween!
Pumpkins are tasty, versatile, cheap, nutritious, delicious, grow abundantly in the UK, and can be cooked a thousand ways. Yet, a scary number are thrown away uneaten every year!
Follow this link to find out how you can make the most of all your pumpkin. https://hubbub.org.uk/how-to-eat-your-pumpkin
Watch Out for Wildlife at Halloween
Halloween is a fantastic occasion for family fun but it can have a very negative impact on nature and wildlife, so think carefully about the decorations you use. In particular:
Avoid using fake spider webs outside to decorate hedges and trees. These are made of plastic which can trap, injure and even kill small creatures, particularly birds and bats. In addition, because they are plastic, they will not naturally break down and will remain in the environment.
Pumpkins are poisonous to hedgehogs and can make birds, foxes, badgers, deer, and other wildlife extremely sick. Dispose of your pumpkin carefully by putting it in the compost bin if you aren’t making it into soup or a pie!
Avoid Plastic and Get Crafting!
It’s no secret that plastic is terrible for the environment, we hear about it all the time and it has been reiterated over and over again by policy makers, scientists and the likes of David Attenborough.
According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), 300 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year, and very little of it is recycled. To put that into perspective, that’s equivalent to the weight of the entire human population and a huge amount of that plastic ends up in our oceans.
Get crafting to make your own decorations using cereal packets, scraps of fabric and other household items.
If craft is just not your thing think about heading to the charity shop first, buying decorations that are built to last and can be brought out again and again.
Click here for some great sustainable Halloween craft ideas. There are plenty more online.