Halloween, but make it green

You might be thinking how can Halloween be low waste? I’m here to hopefully give you a little bit of inspiration.

“18,000 tonnes of pumpkin are thrown away each year”

Trick or Treat?

Making your own treats is a great activity for children, and a tasty way to get into the spooky spirit. What about chocolate orange flapjacks, ghost shaped or spiced biscuits. You can’t go wrong with a bit of orange, green and black coloured icing on biscuits or cupcakes either, an easy favourite. There are some really cool recipes to choose from or get creative and adapt a classic recipe you love to make it Halloween related. If you buy big bars of chocolate for baking, there’s usually an option to buy a big bar in paper and foil (instead of those big brands with plastic wrappers).

Decorations!

Instead of cheap plastic spiders and plastic cobwebs, what about some black bats cut out of card, using some twine or string to hang around doorways or windows. Coloured bunting either from card or using some scrap fabrics? If you do choose plastic decorations then remember don’t throw them away, Halloween decor could be used just like Christmas decor put away for use again the following year.

To carve or not to carve…

I’ve seen a few interesting posts debating carving or eating pumpkins, and it’s a tricky habit to change. If you do carve a pumpkin, use as much of it as you can to eat. Keep the seeds, give them a rinse and dry them a little. Put them in the oven on a baking tray to crisp up - fab with different seasonings, sea salt is a simple one or if you have a sweet tooth sugar with a bit of cinnamon is a great combo. If you do a carving for display only then see if someone you know has a compost you can put the pumpkin in once Halloween is over or if it’s only been out a day (and not gone too mushy) could you put the flesh into a homemade soup, curry or pie?

I’d love to see your inventive low waste halloween ideas, the more shared the more fun we can all enjoy together! There’s no right or wrong way, whether you decide to have fun carving a pumpkin or not get one altogether, just having more awareness of the waste produced is a step in the right direction.