Green Tips for an Eco-friendly Halloween

With Halloween just around the corner, it's time to start preparing the decorations and the kids' costumes. One thing that's often over-looked during this time of the year is going green. Halloween can be an extremely wasteful holiday. Just think about it. There will be tons of leftover plastic and more (including candy wrappers). But as this spooky holiday gets closer and closer, consider these tips for going green and having an eco-friendly Halloween.

Go Organic

While candy and other sugary treats may seem like the way to go when it comes out to handing treats, there is easily a better option. Instead of browsing the candy isle, check out the organic snack options at your local grocery store. While candy is a Halloween favorite, organic and healthy snacks are a much better option. Try to shop for snack bars, fruit snacks, and other organic treats. As an added bonus to the already healthy snacks, many organic snack food have biodegradable and green packaging, which is much better for the environment than plastic wrappers.

Remember to Recycle

Halloween yields a lot of garbage and many times people will just throw out decorations, candy wrappers, and costumes in the trash. Instead of sending unwanted items straight to the trashcan, make sure you check the labels on wrappers and other containers to see if and how they can be recycled. Remember most paper and plastic products can indeed be recycled.

Donate

While almost everyone opts to have a new costume every year, it makes leftover costumes and last year's styles stay in the closet. So instead of keeping your Halloween costume from last year sit in your closet, consider donating it. Some Halloween costumes can be pretty pricey (think over $40), and many people resort to buying second-hand costumes. I know that as a college student I certainly can't afford to drop $40 on one night of fun. Just few weeks before Halloween night, I go to Good Will and other secondhand stores to see what's available. And I always end up donating my Halloween costume back to the store. You'll feel much better about helping people by donating and the environment by not tossing out your costume either.

Reuse Decorations

Just like any other holiday, Halloween decorations should be reused every year. So if it's your first decorating Halloween holiday, invest in some great decorations that you can use for years to come. As an extra tip, also buy a large plastic tub that you can label and put all your decorations in after the holiday passes. Also, you can purchase handmade and local decorations from stores near you. Buying local helps save fossil fuels, as well as supporting local and hard-working businesses.