The only thing scarier than a zombie cheerleader is landfills of Halloween stuff.

Halloween is one of my absolute favourite holidays but the commercialization and incredible amount of single use plastics and ‘disposables,’ turns my stomach more than any gore-filled haunted house. Every year the average Canadian household spends $60-$200 on Halloween costumes, candy and decorations. Add that up between the 14 million households in this country and we’re talking about $840K-$2.5B, every year, just on Halloween — SAY WHAT?! That is a huge amount of money being spent on mostly disposable, definitely wasteful products from huge corporations (instead of local businesses), not to mention the literal mountains of garbage being generated. If you’re spooked by this plastic-filled tradition, check out my go-to list below, covering costumes, decor, candy and more, to enjoy a Happy Hal-Low-Waste-Ween!

How To Have A Happy Hal-Low-Waste-Ween

Zero Waste Costumes

First, let’s remove the stigma of secondhand and/or repurposed costumes, get creative, and work with what you have! This is where being a pack rat comes in handy — low waste doesn’t always mean being a minimalist, it means not buying if you already have something that can be repurposed. I fully believe every household should have its own costume trunk (yes, even if you don’t have kids!). We have two — one full of material that is either new, or old clothes that I just like the fabric or design of, and the other is old costumes for rainy day dress up and living room dance parties (again, no kids required for dance parties!)! Remind your kids that a costume is their vision of what they want to dress up as and not what Pinterest says the costume should look like! Secondhand/thrift stores are not only a fun outing (🎵I got $20 in my pocket…🎵), but also a great way to minimize your footprint and put a unique costume together — or grab a preloved, already-made costume as they are flooded with them this time of year (plus most thrift stores donate all or a part of their profits to local charities)! If face paint or makeup is involved (maybe in place of a plastic mask?), raid your makeup cabinet instead of purchasing one of those plastic trays full of unsafe, toxin-filled makeup and check out Youtube for literally thousands of makeup tutorials!

If It Ain’t Broke…

If you have a kid that likes being a ghost or witch every year — don’t mess with it! As a Mom of two daughters with endless imagination, trust me when I say you will regret feeding them new ideas (they have incredible imaginations all on their own, promise!). Keeping it simple from the start and setting the standard of making your own or going with a a clever low-key costume is genius and I deeply envy those parents! I have spent countless late nights sewing tiny details on costumes that I thought were important, only for my kid to change their mind at the last minute and want to go as something else. I’m not saying don’t help or encourage your kids’ creativity, but make sure they’re the ones driving the idea(s) and doing the majority of the work so that nothing is wasted.

Zero Waste Halloween Decor

Decor is super fun — it gets us in the spooky spirit and helps us bridge the gap between seasonal changes. Let’s be honest we all need something to look forward to these days! I am a simple spooky Fall kinda gal but my kids are all about crafting so I usually take on a few DIY decor projects that use things I have around the house. If you like crafting with your kids, consider making decorations that will last year after year or can at least be reassembled into something for Christmas! Giant Spider turned Reindeer perhaps (if you do this, please, please send photos!)? Plus, if you want to make the house extra spooky, just skip cleaning out those spiderwebs that have been accumulating everywhere (no, just me?)!

Here are some simple zero waste Halloween decor ideas that will please the wallet and our planet!

Leaf Art: Try collecting, drying, pressing, painting, modge-podging and more! Check out ideas on Pinterest here — these ghost leaves are especially cute (but remember fun over perfection is always the goal).
Pumpkins: Painting your pumpkin with non-toxic washable paint is a great way to save a pumpkin so that it can be eaten after Halloween (curried pumpkin soup anyone?) or carving pumpkins is a super fun activity for kids and adults alike (don’t forget to roast the seeds!) and they’ll look amazing on your front steps.
Repurposed Recycling: Old bottles and jars can be turned into potions and tonics. Plastic containers can be taped/wired together and wrapped up like a mummy or witch. Brown toilet paper rolls turn into glowing eyes or candles. The only limit here is your imagination and patience!

Sustainable Sweet Tooth

Trick or treating is all about seeing the kiddos show off their costumes but the packaging that comes with all that candy is a hard one for those who care about their impact on the environment. In the world we live in (at least my city) all the items we hand out need to be individually commercially wrapped, which means no homemade treats. There are still alternatives out there though! Try finding paper wrapped (wax paper tootsie rolls or see what you can find in local candy stores) or mini cardboard boxes (smarties or junior mints) treats — yes it’s still packaging but paper is still the better option unless you have your own soft plastic recycling machine at home!

Seek Out New Traditions

My last tip to keep your Halloween low waste is to introduce new traditions that don’t rely on typical commercialized products. I love Halloween because I love dressing up and celebrating my inner witch! Witchcraft takes many forms, from simply honouring our own intuition, to using nature to heal (hello calendula, witch hazel, and a thousand other incredible plants!), to concocting kitchen creations, to using the power of spells to rid yourself of unwanted feelings and spirits. I highly recommend the book Witch: Unleashed. Untamed. Unapologetic. by Lisa Lister, which helped me find out which witch is which and which witch I feel most connected to! Two years ago I introduced some Samhain rituals to my girls and some of their friends — this involved having them look back at the past year and write out all the things they want to let go of, from people to feelings, then place it in a fire and let it burn! Then, watching them burn, we circled the fire in a clockwise direction, visualizing yourself rising from the flames — new and energized. Then we used Tarot cards to take guidance in the year to come and journal anything that comes up so you can reflect on it throughout the next year! These type of traditions offer the opportunity to reflect, learn, and grow, all while having fun and feeling spooky — without buying disposable plastic products!

However you spend this Halloween, remember to enjoy it and keep reminding yourself that you’re doing your best.

Happy Halloween boos and girls!

Happy Hal-Low-Waste-Ween