What’s the scariest thing about Halloween? The waste.
The October holiday has become a bit of an environmental nightmare, thanks to the mass production of disposable decorations and costumes, not to mention candy wrappers, that aren’t recyclable or biodegradable.
But celebrating the spookiest holiday doesn’t have to be harmful for the environment. Here are 6 ways to keep Halloween boo-tifully sustainable (and save some money) without sacrificing any of the fun!
1. Sustainable Decorations
You don’t have to break the bank by buying new Halloween decorations every year (most of which are produced with plastic). There are so many natural options and fun DIY projects that you can do with items already in your home! You can look for ideas online, but here are a few to get you started:
– Beyond pumpkins, use other seasonal food items like gourds, squash, dried corn husks and apples. You can also use dried flowers, twigs and leaves to create a cozy autumn vibe on your porch!
– Upcycle jars or bottles from your kitchen into festive candles and lanterns. If you’re feeling particularly ghoulish, fill them with colored liquid and cut paper into warning labels that say poison or witch’s brew.
– Use black yarn to create spiderwebs on your walls or prop up white sheets to look like ghosts!
2. Thrifty Costumes
Homemade costumes are always the party favorites anyway, right? There are so many DIY Halloween costumes you can make from items you already have at home, or by getting a little creative with completely recyclable supplies (cardboard is great for this — turn yourself into a robot or Rubik’s Cube!).
If you’re not the DIY type, consider doing a costume swap with friends, raiding someone’s closet or checking out a secondhand thrift store in your neighborhood!
3. Mindful Treats
One big way to reduce your Halloween waste is by buying candy that has recyclable wrapping. You might be surprised to realize that a lot of single-use candy wrappers are made of a mix of materials that aren’t recyclable or even biodegradable. They end up filling our landfills after Halloween or falling as litter on the streets.
The good news is there are many candy brands that are recyclable. Look for candy that’s wrapped in 100% aluminum foil like single chocolates or bars of chocolate (not candy bars) or cardboard (like Junior Mints or Milk Duds).
You can also buy candy in bulk to reduce the number of individual wrappers and hand it out in cardboard goodie boxes or festive cloth bags!
4. Compost those Jack-o-Lanterns!
When you’re ready to toss your pumpkins and gourds, remember to compost them instead of adding them to your trash. Composting is a great way to add nutrient-rich soil to your garden.
Every part of your pumpkin is compostable (but if you leave the seeds in, you might have your own pumpkin patch next year!). Just remember to remove any candles or paint that you might have added.
If your friends or neighbors aren’t into composting, you can offer to take their pumpkins for them. If you yourself don’t have any yard or garden space, consider looking for a community garden or farm that could benefit from the compost.
5. Host an Eco-Friendly Halloween Monster Mash
If you’re hosting a Halloween party, try to make it as close to zero waste as you can!
Encourage your guests to come in DIY or secondhand costumes (tip: tell them there’s a costume contest for the best homemade outfit!). You can also ask them to bring food in containers and to take home any leftovers so there isn’t food waste.
And when it comes to the “boos,” be sure to recycle every bottle or can! Leave your recycling bin out with instructions so your guests know where to toss their empty beverages.
6. Organize or attend a Halloween litter cleanup!
Halloween can leave behind a lot of litter—candy wrappers, blown-away decorations, and costume pieces dropped by trick-or-treaters. But this year, you can be part of the solution by joining the Greatest American Cleanup, starting with a Halloween-themed litter cleanup.
By taking part, you’ll help keep America beautiful as we prepare for her 250th birthday on July 4, 2026! If everyone picked up just 250 pieces of litter, we could eliminate litter altogether. Get started this Halloween by joining or organizing a local cleanup.
The good news is that many communities are already hosting Halloween-themed cleanups, giving you the perfect opportunity to help the environment while showing off your costume one more time.
Visit kab.org/greatest to learn how you can join the Greatest American Cleanup, or click HERE to find an affiliate near you and help make this Halloween a litter-free, eco-friendly celebration in your community!
About Keep America Beautiful®:
Keep America Beautiful®, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful® strives to End Littering, Improve Recycling, and Beautify America’s Communities. We believe everyone has a right to live in a clean, green, and beautiful community, and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision. The organization is driven by the work and passion of 700 Keep America Beautiful® affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the collaborative support of corporate partners, social and civic service organizations, academia, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, and YouTube. Donate and take action at kab.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
McCall Vrydaghs
Keep America Beautiful®