Halloween doesn’t have to be A Sustainability Nightmare

Victoria Mitchell

*Featured image courtesy of* Element5 Digital on Unsplash. *Image license found* here. No changes were made to this image.

Ghosts, vampires and witches. Dungeons, graveyards and haunted houses. Halloween is filled with supernatural terrors guaranteed to send a chill down your spine. But the greatest horror is not lurking in the misty vapours of the otherworld; rather it is directly targeting our own planet.

“The scariest thing about Halloween now is plastic. More costumes are being bought each year as the number of people participating in Halloween increases.”

— John Rose

Ecological damage induced by single-use costumes, mass-produced decorations and plastic sweet wrappers render October 31st an environmental horror story. According to a 2019 survey carried out by eco-charities Hubbub and Fairyland Trust, over 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste is generated each year by discarded costumes alone.

Founder of the Fairyland Trust, John Rose said that, “the scariest thing about Halloween now is plastic. More costumes are being bought each year as the number of people participating in Halloween increases.”

Add in pumpkin waste, disposable partyware and increased fuel emissions, and the carbon footprint escalates even higher. With that in mind, here are a few simple ways to go green this spooky season without becoming a Halloween Humbug.

1.Get Crafty With Your Costume

The biggest carbon footprint of the holiday stems from fast-fashion costumes that are mass-produced using unsustainable materials. Around 80 per cent of these are made from non-biodegradable synthetics, such as polyester, which end up in landfills.

So what is the most eco-friendly Halloween costume? The one you already own. Look inside your wardrobe, reuse a costume from a previous year, swap with friends or embellish a piece of old clothing to make it new. The Honest Consumer website has a wide array of ethical and affordable costume possibilities. A quick search on Pinterest reveals more ideas ranging from homemade fangs for vampires to wooden broomsticks for witches. For the true creatives, you can conjure a “toxic waste” costume from scratch using discarded materials from home.

2. Embrace Thrift Store Shopping

If your wardrobe is really looking bare, opt for thrift stores rather than fast-fashion chains. Belfast is bursting with quirky second-hand boutiques, many of which are located beside campus.

Vintage&Retro is a two-minute walk away on Botanic Avenue whilst Déjà Vu and Something Different are both situated on the Lisburn Road. For those willing to venture a little closer to the city centre, Octopus’s Garden on Wellington Street is a must-visit with its hand-painted signs and colourful displays. And if all else fails, throw a sheet over your head and be a ghost.

3. Design Eco-Friendly Decorations

Whilst we are on the DIY track, why stop with homemade costumes? Another great way to reduce your carbon footprint is to upcycle Halloween decorations. Again, Pinterest is your friend here with ideas ranging from spider webs made from synthetic wool to DIY wicker pumpkins. Use recyclable partyware and choose compostable products that can be recycled. And these don’t have to cost the earth!

The key is to reduce single-use plastics that become landfill waste by limiting new purchases and recreating what you own. A great place to start is the Queen’s University Belfast Buy and Sell Facebook Group where students can snag products at a bargain price. Other apps like Vinted and Depop can similarly bring the spookiness to your house without damaging the planet.

4. Get Creative With Your Pumpkin Waste

Halloween without pumpkins is like dinner without dessert. Possible but lacklustre. This holiday staple is nonetheless one of the greatest contributors to food waste each year. A survey carried out by Hubub and Knorr in 2021 found that around 8 million pumpkins are thrown away in the UK, amounting to 18,000 tonnes of food waste. Or in other words, enough waste to make a bowl of pumpkin soup for every person in Northern Ireland.

So why not do just that? Carve out some time to fight food waste by cooking soups, pies and sweet treats with the leftovers. A quick search on Hubbub or BBC GoodFood will reveal a range of recipes suitable for every culinary ability. If pumpkin pie isn’t your thing, why not try a pumpkin and lentil curry or a guaranteed student favourite, pumpkin pasta sauce. Both your flatmates and the environment will thank you for it!

Alternatively, leave the remains in your gardens for wildlife to enjoy or put it on the compost heap. Pumpkins are 90 per cent water and bursting with nutrients so they make the perfect fertiliser for your garden.

5. Unrwap the bittersweet reality of candy

Sweets can be an environmental nightmare. Most major retailers contribute to deforestation by unethically sourcing palm oil, cocoa beans and sugar. A massive amount of energy is expended during the process of transportation, and the non-recyclable packaging adds to the plastic waste footprint.

So here is another opportunity to embrace your inner Mary Berry by ditching shop sweets for home-baked goods. Bonus points for vegan recipes! Some examples include a spiderweb dip made from avocado and baked beans, or skeleton cookies made from almond flour. Now is also the chance to upgrade your COVID banana bread recipes by giving them a spooky twist.

If buying sweets, try refill stores such as Refill Quarter, or celebrate Christmas early with Quality Street which is now using eco-friendly wrapping.

6. Enjoy the ghoulish events on offer

Finally, most events happening in Belfast this spooky season are naturally eco-friendly. From ghostly torchlight tours such as the Belfast Ghost and Paranormal Tour, to film screenings like Falcon Lake at Queen’s Theatre, not to mention the variety of themed club nights, there is a something for everyone to enjoy. So treat both yourself and the planet this Halloween. Go green and have a spooktacular weekend!