Halloween is a fun time of year, but it’s also one of the worst when it comes to waste. A UK charity found that people generate over 2,200 tons of plastic waste from just their costumes and clothing. You also must consider that there is plastic waste from candy wrappers and the plastic bags they come in. It’s a lot.

You love hosting creepy Halloween parties for your family, friends, and neighbors. You plan to do the same, but you also want to do your part when it comes to lowering your carbon footprint and recycling.

Cutting down on waste is important, and it seems challenging when you’re dealing with individually wrapped candies, plastic masks and costumes, and decorations. Our guide to establishing eco-friendly Halloween parties helps cut back on some of the unnecessary trash.

Upcycling for Halloween Decor

Take your unused items and upcycle them into Halloween party decorations. Cardboard toilet paper and paper towel tubes are ideal bones for a homemade skeleton. Use some old yarn or rope to connect the bones. A pumpkin is a perfect head, and you can hang the rest of the skeleton from the head that’s attached to a thick tree branch or roof eave.

Take old sheets that are ripped or very thin and turn them into ghosts. Drape them across your home’s exterior walls to create a ghostly appearance, going around the corner or up towards the roof.

Wrap your door, trees, or deck posts in strips of white t-shirts until they resemble a mummy. Two LED puck lights create creepy eyes if you’re going with a bigger mummy-like creation.

You can upcycle items into Halloween costumes, too. It just takes a bit of creative thinking. Turn a square cardboard box into a TV. Use old coat hangers to form the antenna. If you need a second costume for someone, use a rectangular box and turn it into a remote to go with the TV.

Environmentally-Friendly Halloween Decor

Gather items found in nature for bouquets and flower arrangements. Fall is a great time for colorful maple leaves, pine branches, pine cones, and late-blooming flowers like asters and mums.

Use tealights in carved pumpkins to line the driveway or walkway for an eerie entrance to the party. It keeps things dimly lit without using electricity. When the party is over, you can compost the pumpkins or leave them out for wildlife to eat. Squirrels enjoy pumpkin.

When you use pumpkins for décor, save the pumpkin seeds. You can replant them next year to grow new pumpkins. They’re also a great snack. Rinse them off, toss them with some oil or melted butter, and seasonings. Roast them in an oven until they’re golden brown.

If you don’t carve your pumpkin, save it to turn into pumpkin puree for pumpkin muffins, quick bread, and pies. You can use natural dyes to decorate them, and they’ll last longer if you avoid cutting into them.

No-Waste Party Foods

Disposable plates, cutlery, napkins, and single-use cups all add to the Halloween party trash stream. Skip it by moving to no-waste party foods and environmentally-friendly cups and napkins.

Start with the choice of cups and napkins. Aim for compostable paper products. If your party is small enough, use dishes, glassware, and cloth napkins that can be washed and reused at future gatherings.

Instead of beverages in cans or bottles, have pitchers available and keep them refilled. If your party is for adults, returnable growlers are a nice touch for supporting local businesses while avoiding a lot of cans or bottles that build up. 

Now, it’s time to talk about food. Finger foods are ideal as people won’t need plates that stand up to heavy, baked foods. Wraps cut up into smaller portions, finger sandwiches, individual quiches, and cheese and crackers work. Baked chips aren’t as greasy, so napkins aren’t needed.

When it comes to sweet treats, try a trick from the 1980s where children’s cupcakes were baked in regular ice cream cones instead of paper wrappers. The cone keeps fingers from getting sticky, too. Decorate them with fluffy buttercream, Halloween sprinkles, and put a cherry on top to make them look like an ice cream cone. Cookies and pre-sliced brownies also work well. 

Choose Durable Items Instead of Single-Use Items

Many people like to purchase Halloween bags for children who are going trick-or-treating. Stop investing in single-use items. Instead, purchase a reusable plastic container or, even better, a quality fabric tote that is washable between uses.

Mason jars are a handy item to have for decoration. Use them for flowers or turn them into deck lanterns with a candle or LED puck light. Reuse them year after year for multiple holidays or celebrations.

Invest in LED strip lighting for outside lights. If you can afford it, solar-powered string lights don’t require any electricity to run. If not, use a timer to ensure the lights are turned on for only a few hours each night. If you can get strips where you choose the color, they’ll easily change from Halloween lights to Christmas lights without having to take them down and put them back up.

Don’t store your Halloween costumes and décor in cardboard boxes. Cardboard doesn’t keep mice and humidity out. Instead, invest in reusable totes. If you no longer need them for Halloween items, they’re easily used for other items. You can use them for storing craft supplies, pet toys, or shoes.

Store or Recycle Everything Else When the Party’s Over

Halloween’s over. Now is the time to store everything you used for next year. Items that aren’t meant to be stored go to the compost heap or bin in your yard or community. Make sure other items are recycled. 

What do you do with Halloween costumes that you won’t use again? Form a swap group with family and friends. Others can wear it next year, and you have a free costume you receive in exchange.

If your kids received candies in plastic wrap or plastic Trick or Treat bags, don’t throw them away. Plastic film from candy wrappers goes into a clear bag to bring to the grocery store on your next trip. 

Not sure if your grocery store recycles plastic film products? Recycle Nation helps you find the nearest location. Enter your ZIP code and see where you can drop them off.