Recycling after Halloween
Waste produced around Halloween
An estimated 7 million costumes and 18,000 tonnes of pumpkins are discarded in the UK each year at Halloween, contributing to significant plastic and food waste (according to 'Waste Managed').
The best thing we can do is to use reusable costumes, decorations, and party supplies, and promote repurposing pumpkins and reducing food waste to lessen environmental impact.
View the dropdowns below to see how to reuse or recycle different types of Halloween waste.
When it comes to Halloween, we all think of pumpkins. And in recent years, supermarkets have developed Halloween pumpkins to have thinner flesh and a more spacious interior, to make them easier to carve (but less great for eating).
Buy from the food aisle, not the Halloween aisle
If you buy a pumpkin, or squash from the food aisle (instead of the ‘Halloween’ aisle) this should mean you can enjoy some yummy pumpkin recipes once you’ve had fun carving:
- the seeds can be roasted for a tasty treat or topping (great on risotto or in a salad)
- make pumpkin wedges (if you have big chunks with the skin on)
- add the flesh to a vegetable stock
- use the flesh in risotto, pies cakes, or soups
Grow pumpkins for next year
And when the Halloween fun is over – why not get planning on next year? By growing next years pumpkins
Pumpkins are super easy to grow. Just save some seeds from your pumpkin carving and plant them ready for next years crop. View how to grow pumpkins on Garden Organic.
Disposing of pumpkins
Most importantly, remember to properly dispose of your pumpkin.
For the parts you can’t eat, or if you were super keen and carved a bit early the best thing to do is to compost your carved pumpkin at home or put it in your food waste recycling (remember: don't put them in your general rubbish bin).
- for food waste recycling; chop your used pumpkin and put it in your food waste recycling caddy
- compost it; chop it up and put it in your compost bin, if you have one
Our friends at Garden Organic have more great tips on how to have a greener Halloween.
Don’t be afraid to try something new or get your hands dirty, and make sure you use recyclable or reusable decorations to spice up the spooky celebrations!
Reuse what you already have
The most effective way to save money and items from becoming waste is by reusing them. This can save money and stops items from becoming waste.
Browse secondhand shops earlier
Secondhand shops and online resale platforms will have Halloween items available early.
Get crafty and make decorations
Hone your crafting skills and get making. From simple paper cut-out bats or pumpkins, to a more complex floating ghost out of an old sheet. You can decorate your home without buying plastic decorations. You could even make tombstones out of cardboard. Or lanterns from old cans.
Here are 5 scary facts from Hubbub about Halloween costumes:
- an estimated 39 million people dress up for Halloween in the UK and 90% of families buy new costumes every year
- most of these costumes (69%) are made up of polyester, a fabric made from oil-based plastic
- in the UK the average cost is £15.56 adding up to £510m a year spent on Halloween costumes - only 14% are home-made!
- 2 in 5 of those costumes are only worn once before being thrown into landfill
- but 73% are happy to wear a used costume from a friend or relative
Host a costume swap
Why not host a costume swap; either amongst friends, neighbours or at your school. To host a clothes swap, follow these steps:
- advertise the event
- let people know when and where to make donations
- separate the donations into size and age
- on the day of the 'swap' let people know when and where they can come to take an item
It's as easy as that. We have created some posters with sections to fill in. Download and print the posters to advertise your event:
- Halloween costume swap poster (pumpkins) (PDF, 1.1 MB)
- Halloween costume swap poster (white) (PDF, 383 KB)
- Halloween costume swap poster (orange) (PDF, 351 KB)
After the event, just bag up any costumes that have not been taken, and either:
- keep them aside for another time
- donate them to charity or to a textile bank
All of the household recycling centres in Buckinghamshire have textile banks.
Make your own costume
Why not try making your own?
There are loads of great ideas for easy DIY Halloween costumes. Or find one of those cardboard boxes that we all have stashed away to make a spooky cardstume.