Six ways to have an eco-friendly Halloween

With creepy costumes and spooky sweets, Halloween is most definitely a fun time of the year for kids and adults alike. But it can also be one of the most wasteful when you consider the disposable decorations, never worn again getup, and sweets in single-use packaging. In fact, an estimated 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste is generated from throwaway Halloween costumes alone¹.

But you don’t need to generate a lot of waste to celebrate Halloween as there are eco-friendly ways to celebrate without losing any of the fun.

Here are our six top tips to celebrate a spookily sustainable Halloween. 

Many of us enjoy decorating our homes for Halloween but this year avoid single-use plastic decorations that will end up in landfill, and instead invest in reusable Halloween decorations.

Many shops now stock Halloween-themed items such as ceramic pumpkins and skulls. Or visit your local charity shops to look for eerie decorations such as candelabras, lanterns and old apothecary bottles and jars.

And don’t limit yourself to only buying your Halloween decorations, why not create your own and get the kids involved in the fun? You can even turn household waste into spooky decorations, for example you could create a ‘ghost lantern’ by drawing a face on milk bottles and placing LED lights inside or using leftover cardboard and turning it into a skeleton. 

Whatever your plans this Halloween, you’re likely to need a costume for yourself or your children but with seven million outfits thrown away every year¹, consider alternatives this year.

Instead of buying a new costume, you could create your own. It’s easy to turn old clothes or household items into fantastic costumes and kids will love the hands-on element of designing and creating their own costume.

But if creativity isn’t your strong suit, there are other options. You could organise a costume swap at your child’s school to find pre-loved Halloween costumes or even visit your local charity shop. And if you must have a new costume, you could rent one instead. 

Shopping locally is another great way to be sustainable – most of the UK’s air pollution comes from transport and transporting food to and around the UK produces 19 million tonnes of CO₂ a year². So instead of driving to a large supermarket, why not visit a local greengrocers or farmers’ market to find your perfect pumpkin.

And when it comes to carving your pumpkin, save the pumpkin seeds and flesh – you can roast the pumpkin seeds for a healthy snack and use the pumpkin flesh in many autumnal recipes. 

If your children are going trick or treating this year, swap single-use Halloween bags for more eco-friendly alternatives. Make use of items that you already own such as a wicker basket, a bucket, an old bag or even a pillowcase, and decorate it or buy a reusable Halloween basket. You’ll be able to use it year after year, helping save both the environment and money.

And if you’re going to be the one giving out the treats, try to avoid individually wrapped sweets in non-recyclable packaging. Instead opt for goodies that come in recyclable packaging or try baking your own treats, such as Halloween brownies, homemade toffee apples or even spider biscuits. 

If you do make your own, just remember to label everything, including allergens, so parents can be sure that it’s safe for their kids to eat.

If you’re throwing a party, sidestep disposable cutlery, plates and cups that will go straight to landfill and bring out your own plates and glasses instead. If you don’t have enough, or are worried about breakages, buy a reusable plastic set that you can use for years to come. But if you are set on buying disposable items, make sure they’re biodegradable. 

Whether you’re having people round for a Halloween get together, expecting trick or treaters or simply wanting a quiet night in, you’ll need power for your home. So make sure that your lights, music and TV are powered by 100% renewable electricity – like we provide to all our customers’ homes³. Or go one step further and generate your own renewable electricity with solar panels – and as the seasons change you can have peace of mind that solar panels still work on cloudy days and in winter.

For many, the arrival of Halloween reminds us that winter is fast approaching. And with us all wanting our homes to be warm and cosy, it’s important to show your boiler some love. Now is a great time to get your boiler serviced to check it’s running as efficiently as it can which will help you to use less energy and spend less money on your heating bills.

These are just a few ways you can celebrate Halloween more sustainably this year. 

^{1. The Guardian: Scariest thing about Halloween is plastic waste, say charities}

^{2. BBC Good Food: The facts about food miles}

^{3. Electricity backed by 100% renewable sources. Electricity sourced from E.ON's renewable assets, agreements with independent UK generators and the purchase of renewable electricity certificates. The electricity supplied to your home comes from the National Grid. Find out more at eonenergy.com/renewable.}