Halloween is a scary time of year. Not only because of the clocks going back and the impending darkness. Not only because of the horror films shown on TV which this writer personally hates. But because of the sheer amount of waste generated around this one day holiday.
From the sweet treats at Halloween parties and for trick or treaters, to the costumes we wear once and the pumpkins we toss into the bin.
Don’t get me wrong, at Lucy & Yak we absolutely love a costume party and the opportunity to turn yourself into someone completely different, but it doesn’t have to come with such an environmental cost.
In 2023 and in the UK alone, it’s predicted that seven million costumes will be worn once this year and then thrown away, most likely ending up in landfill. In the US, this number rises to around 35 million - truly horrifying stuff.
Additionally, the sweets consumed at Halloween are more often than not individually wrapped in plastic. In the US, it’s estimated that around half a kilo of waste is generated per trick or treater; when you think about how many are trick or treating globally, that’s a frightening amount of waste.
But what about the pumpkins we all love getting creative with? While it’s great fun carving out spooky scenes on them, usually they are thrown away into general landfill where they are left to rot and then release methane, a gas more harmful to our environment than carbon dioxide.
But it’s not all doom and gloom as there are so many ways we can enjoy what’s great about Halloween without so much waste.