Trick or Trash? Let’s Talk Halloween Waste
It’s that time of year again — swap your rosé for cider or some complicated pumpkin-spiced whipped frappe concoction to drink (and remember to bring your own mug!) in the brisk fall air. To quote the iconic comedy duo, Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph, it’s finally sweata’ weatha’. What’s more, Halloween is just around the corner, my favorite holiday of them all!
Researching the impact of this holiday that is so near and dear to my heart was not without its pain, but no matter how much I love it, I’d be remiss if I did not address the frightening realities that accompany Halloween in the U.S. Behind the fun, spooky festivities, there’s something far scarier than haunted houses lurking: the mountain of waste produced by Halloween in America.
Sadly, Halloween has become one of the most wasteful holidays in the U.S. to date, and while we’re all about having a great time, the environmental cost can’t be ignored. From single-use costumes to candy wrappers, plastic decorations, and even pumpkins, the waste adds up faster than you can say “trick or treat.”
Let’s start with the most visible culprit: the costumes. Americans are expected to spend $3.6 billion on Halloween costumes in 2023 alone, many of which will be worn once and then tossed in the trash, contributing significantly to landfill waste (National Retail Federation)
(NRF | Homepage). These costumes, often are almost always made from cheap, synthetic fabrics like polyester, which are essentially plastic — and that plastic doesn’t break down in landfills (Earth911).
Please see any of our team’s past newsletters of PFAs and plastic waste if you really want to jolt that eco-anxiety! To try to help with my own rampant climate-terror, I always make my own costume and try to source natural fibers or use pieces I will incorporate into my regular wardrobe.
But costumes aren’t the only component driving up waste stats. Each year, 600 million pounds of candy are purchased in the U.S. for Halloween. All those wrappers? Glad you asked! They’re typically made from materials that can’t be recycled, thus, they end up in landfills or, worse, as litter in our oceans (National Geographic).
Even pumpkins — the symbol of Halloween — aren’t without their waste impact. More than 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins grown in the U.S. end up in nearby landfills after Halloween, releasing harmful methane — a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than CO2 (The Guardian).
We have to approach this as a piece in the bigger picture. It’s easy to dismiss one holiday’s waste, but these are some staggering statistics. By switching to more sustainable materials and by being more conscious about how we approach and purchase candies and costumes, we have the change to once again restore the core principle of this wonderful, spooky holiday. After all, the scariest thing about Halloween shouldn’t be its environmental impact.
- Lillian Freiberg, Vice President, Business Development
- The Guardian: Halloween Costumes and Decorations Are a Plastic Nightmare — Discusses the environmental impact of Halloween costumes and decorations, focusing on plastic waste.
- National Geographic: Halloween Candy Waste Is Spooky for the Planet — Explores how candy packaging contributes to global plastic waste.
- The Guardian: Pumpkins from Halloween Add to Food Waste Crisis — Covers the massive waste problem stemming from discarded pumpkins after Halloween.
Organize a pumpkin composting event after Halloween. Set up a neighborhood collection where people can drop off their pumpkins to be composted or used as animal feed. It’s a simple way to prevent pumpkins from rotting in landfills and creating harmful methane emissions.
Many other countries and cultures have days similar in spirit to the holiday we celebrate here, though some might argue they have a tad bit more depth and cultural significance. Take some time to learn more about the below similar celebrations:
- In Mexico, Día de los Muertos honors deceased loved ones with vibrant altars and festive gatherings.
- Ireland’s ancient Samhain marks the transition from harvest to winter, blurring the lines between the living and the dead.
- The Philippines features Pangangaluluwa, where children sing for the souls stuck in purgatory.
- Japan’s Kawasaki Halloween Parade showcases creative costumes and community spirit.
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