Reduce A Spooktacularly Less Waste Halloween

Halloween may be full of fun and fright, but the real horror often comes after the celebrations—when bins overflow with waste from costumes, decorations, and pumpkins. Just like Christmas, Halloween can generate a surprising amount of waste for just one day of festivities.

A carved pumpkin that is decomposing

But fear not! With a little planning, you can enjoy a low- or no-waste Halloween. Here are five simple steps to help you celebrate sustainably at home and beyond:

  1. Reuse or Recycle Your Costumes

Every year, around 7 million Halloween costumes are thrown away. Many are made from non-recyclable materials and worn only once.

Instead:

  • Get creative with DIY costumes using items from your wardrobe.
  • Buy second-hand or hire from costume shops.
  • Donate unwanted costumes to charity or drop them in a textiles recycling bin, if they are in a clean and dry condition.
  1. Eat Your Pumpkin

Over 39.9 million pumpkins are displayed each Halloween, but nearly 22 million go to waste—that’s over £32 million in edible food discarded.

To reduce waste:

  • Choose smaller pumpkins—they’re tastier and easier to use.
  • Decorate instead of carving to keep them fresh longer.
  • Use seeds and flesh in recipes—check out Hubbub’s Pumpkin Recipe Book.
  • Compost any leftovers instead of binning them.
  1. Rethink Decorations

Before buying new, check what you already have left from previous years. Although many decorations are single-use and end up in the rubbish bin.

If you want to avoid this in future you could try:

  • DIY décor using fabric scraps, cardboard, twigs, and leaves.
  • Try to buy more durable, reusable decorations.
  • Storing items properly for reuse—remove batteries from flashing items to prevent corrosion and extend their life.
  1. Choose Low-Waste Treats

Sweet wrappers are often non-recyclable due to mixed materials. To reduce waste:

  • Buy sweets in recyclable or refillable containers.
  • Bake homemade treats (with care for allergies and food safety).
  • Check if wrappers can be recycled at local stores: Less Waste Recycling Information

 

  1. Sort Your Halloween Waste

Even with your best efforts, some waste is unavoidable. Sort it properly:

  • Reuse, recycle, or compost at home where possible.
  • Take hard-to-recycle items to drop-off points or recycling centres you can find them on the Recycle now locator .
  • Never bin batteries or battery-powered items—they can cause fires and environmental harm. Use designated battery collection points. Anything with a battery needs to be kept separate from other waste and not put into the bin. If you are close to a Recycling and Household waste site you can put them in the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) container or find somewhere that can accept the item at Recycle your electricals

Plan ahead, reduce waste, and enjoy a greener Halloween!
Let’s make this spooky season a little less scary for the bins.

 

 

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