This is a press release from the City of Arcata:
The City of Arcata encourages residents to celebrate this spooky season sustainably by reducing single-use waste and making choices that are kinder to the planet.
Halloween haunts the environment in ways that are easy to miss. Every year, Americans generate huge amounts of waste from disposable costumes, disposable decorations, candy wrappers and discarded pumpkins. However, with a little planning, it is possible to give the earth a low-waste Halloween.
Here are fun and practical ways to reduce holiday waste without sacrificing spirit:
Getting into the role: Eco-friendly costumes
- Challenge friends and family to wear eco-friendly costumes, then award a prize to the best costume!
- DIY it! Get creative with the clothes, accessories, and makeup you already have at home.
- Save it! Local thrift stores offer unique, affordable costume pieces. Choose durable and interchangeable costume accessories like capes, hats, and boots that you can use again for years to come.
- Organize or participate in a costume swap with neighbors, co-workers, family or friends.
- When trick-or-treating, pair an eco-conscious costume with a reusable bag. Use a pillowcase, tote bag, or suitable container you find around the house instead of buying something new.
The trick to offering treats without waste
- If possible, avoid candy wrapped in plastic. Choose candy with recyclable (e.g. aluminum foil) or compostable (e.g. cardboard or paper) packaging.
- Instead of handing out candy, get creative with candy alternatives. Options include: mini soda cans (recyclable), clementines with jack-o-lantern faces (compostable), seed packets (choose only native, non-invasive plants), school supplies, hair accessories, or homemade cookies and treats in compostable bags (if the neighborhood approves).
- Any candy wrappers that are not recyclable or compostable can be used to make an Ecobrick. Learn more about the Ecobrick movement at ecobricks.org.
Haunt Responsibly: Eco-Friendly Celebrations
- Plan low-waste party games like cookie decorating, pumpkin carving, apple hunting, truth or horror or horror charades using items from home. Be sure to compost as you clean up.
- Label compost, recycling and trash cans so guests know where to throw their trash.
- Offer reusable utensils, cups, plates, and other party supplies instead of disposable items. Instead of buying new supplies, borrow from friends and family, buy used, or rent from a supplier like Bright and Green.
The devil is in the details: Decorate with the earth in mind
- Plan to compost, recycle, or maintain decorations throughout their life. Avoid glow sticks and cheap plastic decorations that contain harmful chemicals and end up in landfills.
- Get creative with natural and recycled materials. Remember to remove all paint, embellishments and tape as these cannot be recycled or composted: Make ghosts out of old sheets and towels. Use natural twine for spider webs. Transform kraft paper or cardboard into spooky banners, paper bats or tombstones. Prepare potions from glass bottles.
- Incorporate pumpkins, pine cones, pumpkins, hay bales and corn stalks. These versatile items have many uses and can be composted after the vacation (see next section).
- Trade decor with friends or look for new decorations at thrift stores instead of buying new ones. Donate unwanted decorations after the holiday.
- Inflatable decorations use unnecessary electricity, can contribute to noise pollution and, most importantly, if stored improperly, can easily form holes that result in them going straight to landfill.
Don't send pumpkins to the cemetery
- Forget the fake plastic pumpkins, real ones are completely biodegradable and much more festive. Stock up on fall produce from local farms or grocers and plan to use every bit of it.
- Eat them! Roast the seeds and cook the pulp. Prepare soups, cakes, lattes, scones, hummus and more.
- Compost the rest! First remove any paint or glitter, then compost any rotten pumpkins and food scraps that can't be used. Compost at home or use a local service like Full Cycle Compost or the Local Worm Guy.
- Find out about state and local compost laws and why they are important. California law SB 1383 requires cities and residents to reduce the amount of organic waste that ends up in landfills, where it produces harmful greenhouse gases like methane, a climate super pollutant. Composting pumpkins, food scraps and other organic matter can significantly reduce emissions and return nutrients to the soil. Learn more at cityofarcata.org/sb1383.
Pick the best parts of Halloween and let the rest go. Then start eco-friendly Halloween traditions that will last for years to come. For more sustainable living tips and local waste prevention resources, visit cityofarcata.org/790/Waste-Prevention-Resources or call (707) 822-8184.
