Halloween can be spooky for the planet. It doesn’t have to be!

written by Michelle Sayre

TRICK-OR-TREAT

Did you know? Candy wrappers cannot be recycled.

According to current census data there are 10,853 minors in Downers Grove. It is estimated that each trick-or-treater creates one pound of candy wrapper waste. That’s almost 11,000 pounds of plastic waste generated from candy in DG alone! 

Some sweeter options:

Nerds, Junior Mints, Pixie Sticks, Dots, and Milk Duds come in paper boxes instead of plastic. Mini cans of soda or juice, Mini pumpkins, Cards with magic “fortunes” on them, “Magic wands” (a collection of wand-size sticks from the yard would be great for this!), Native plant seed packets, Cotton friendship bracelets, Fresh fruit, Reusable straws, Coloring pages or crossword/sudoku puzzles, Pencils or crayons.

COSTUMES

Did you know? Most packaged costumes are petroleum-based.

83% of Halloween costumes are worn once and thrown away. Halloween costumes generate approximately 12 MILLION pounds of textile waste annually in the US

alone, and most of that is made from petroleum-based plastics and textiles. These take hundreds of years to break down and leach harmful chemicals into the atmosphere and soil.

Costume consciously:

Bring old costumes back from the dead: swap, borrow, or buy pre-loved costumes (Downers Grove Area Parents Page on Facebook has a Halloween Swap post or try the Downers Grove Buy Nothing Group). Or make it yourself! Think of what you already have in your home that can be spooked up with makeup, face paint, or accessories.

DECORATIONS

Did you know? Synthetic spiderwebs are bad for birds, bats, and butterflies.

Americans spend around $2.35 billion on plastic single-use decorations every year. One of the worst are synthetic spiderwebs. Not only is it single use and made of polyester which takes hundreds of years to decompose, it also creates a dangerous situation for animals and insects that get stuck in or suffocated by the plastic fibers.

A better look:

Find a theme you like and build your sustainable collection over time to reuse decorations (think pirate ship house on Fairview). Decorate with hay, scarecrows, corn, gourds, pumpkins, and jack-o-lanterns for a natural take, and be sure to compost them!

NOTE: Downers Grove North does a pumpkin smash every year to compost all the leftover pumpkins! Find out more about the Pumpkin Smash on the S.C.A.R.C.E. website here.