Here Are 7 Ways Make Your Last Minute Halloween Scramble One for Good
In case you’ve missed all of the plastic skeletons and jack-o-lanterns around you, time is running out!
Throwing together some finishing touches on your Halloween plans last minute doesn’t need to create waste. In fact, it’s not too late to make it a spooktacular holiday that leaves the world better than you left it. Save money and do good with these 7 ideas put together by the team at TerraCycle.
Greener Costume Ideas
- Instead of buying a new costume just to wear it once and throw it away…
- Save money by attending a costume swap…
- …or swap with a friend for a “new” costume. Insta-fresh.
Once you’re done with your costume, donate it!
As long as your costume is still in good shape, you may be able to donate it to Goodwill or give it to a local preschool to use in their dress-up box. Either way, you’re preventing it from going straight to landfill.
Upcycled Costume Ideas
- Upcycle a costume and make darn sure no one else will have the same costume as you (like this fairy giving a second life to milk jugs).
- … or this sweet cupcake made with an old lampshade, pom-poms, and scrunched-up fabric.
- … or this beautiful, batty fledermaus that’s a genius use of normal street clothes and a broken umbrella.
Trick or Treat without Plastic Bags or Containers
Skip the plastic bags and use an unconventional vessel to beg for your candy.
Even if you won’t personally be trick-or-treating this year, you can still encourage your children, younger siblings or other kids to use something a little more eco-friendly than a plastic pumpkin or bag, such as…
- A pillowcase.
- A recyclable paper bag.
- Or a cute reusable tote.
Share more Sustainable Treats
Choose candy and goodies from sustainable and ethical brands. Whether you’re giving out candy to trick-or-treaters or eating it all yourself (hey, no shame!), buying candy that’s fair-trade and either palm oil-free or made with sustainably-sourced palm oil is a low-effort way to make your Halloween a little greener; palm-oil plantations contribute to significant deforestation, endangering species including the orangutan, Sumatran tiger and Sumatran elephant.
And when you’re done, Recycle your Candy Wrappers.
Candy and snack wrappers are typically unrecyclable due to their size, but you can enjoy your treats guilt-free with this trick: code OCTOBERBOX20 gets you 20% off TerraCycle’s Candy and Snack Wrappers – Zero Waste Box™. Get it HERE.
Volunteer in your Community
This Halloween, give more than candy – give your time. Depending on where you live, you might have the opportunity to volunteer in free Halloween events for kids, or ones that raise money for great charities.
Trick or Treat for UNICEF
This year’s Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF fund-raising program, in partnership with Jennifer Lopez, focuses on raising funds for funds for Puerto Rico, which is still suffering massive devastation a month after Hurricane Maria tore through the island. You can also become a mentor in the Big Brother Big Sister program and take your mentee trick-or-treating.
Holidays are about having fun with friends, family and your community. Fun can be free, low-cost and intentional, mad-dash to October 31 be darned! How will your All Hallows Eve make a positive impact on your community?
Get the Green Living Ideas book in softcover or PDF for as low as $2.99!
About the Author
TerraCycle Founded in 2001, TerraCycle, Inc., is the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle post-consumer waste, ranging from used chip bags to coffee capsules to cigarette butts. Each year, across 20 countries, TerraCycle collects and repurposes billions of pieces of waste, donating millions of dollars to schools and charities in the process. To learn more about TerraCycle or get involved in our recycling programs, please visit www.TerraCycle.com
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