Halloween is one of the most popular and widely celebrated holidays of the year in the western world, but with it comes a considerable amount of waste. It’s the season for gory sweets and chocolates, spooky decorations and creative costumes. But have you thought about where all of the waste from one of our favourite occasions ends up?

While some people will make sure they repurpose costumes and decorations year on year, there are still many who will buy items that are brand new and made from plastic in order to make things more affordable. As a result, only 20% of people who celebrate Halloween will consider sustainability when it comes to funding and organising Halloween fun, claims Fruit Net.

Unfortunately, the majority of Halloween items on sale are made from plastic and they will almost always end up in landfill, according to the World Bank. With this in mind, it’s important that we understand the effect that this holiday, among others, is having on the environment, which subsequently drives climate change.

If we can think about Halloween with a more sustainable and eco-friendly perspective then we’ll be able to enjoy Halloween year after year, without having to worry about the impact it’s having on the planet. With this in mind, here are few facts and statistics to make you think more sustainably about the holiday that is just around the corner. We’ll also give you some brief tips for having a more eco-friendly Halloween, too.

Haunting facts & statistics about Halloween waste

According to Green Tulip, households in the UK produced around 183,000 tonnes of Halloween waste, including 100,000 of food waste, in 2019. The majority of that waste ends up in landfill, around 70% of it, to be exact, claims the same source.

But it gets even more scary when you begin to break it down. It’s important that we understand the impact that this waste has on the environment. Let’s take take a look at the different types of waste produced throughout the spooky season:

Halloween costumes & decorations

The Guardian claims that 83% of Halloween costumes produced are non-recyclable. This is the equivalent of sending around 2,000 tonnes of plastic to landfill each year. In fact, the same source states that around 63% of costumes sent to landfill will take anywhere between 20 and 200 years to decompose.

The main issue is that around 83% of costumes are made using oil-based plastic, which comes after an investigation by Hubbub, an environmental charity. But it’s not just the costumes that are causing an issue when it comes to plastic-based waste. The accessories to go along with them are also a problem. The following items are also made using plastic, such as:

Synthetic wigs
Hats
Masks
Buckets
Party decorations
Glittery makeup and other things adorned with glitter
Outfits for dogs

According to the Fairyland Trust, around 30 million people across the country dress up for Halloween. So you can imagine the amount of plastic waste generated just from wanting to dress up as your favourite ghoul or villain. More worryingly, a study in 2017 discovered that less than 1% of the material used to produce these costumes are recycled into new items of clothing. This is even more alarming when you consider the plastic waste being generated through decorations.

Pumpkin decorations & pumpkin carving

According to Waste Managed, around 18,000 tonnes of pumpkin waste is sent to landfill every single year after Halloween. This equates out to around 360 million portions of delicious pumpkin pie. In fact, in 2022, Sustainable Food Trust claimed that around 22.2 million pumpkins were thrown away in the UK with the rest of the household waste.

Now, you might be wondering what’s so bad about pumpkin waste when it composts down eventually. But that’s exactly the problem – it will break down. As the pumpkin degrades, it releases gases into the atmosphere, thus adding to global warming. The difference when you compost a pumpkin at home is that, usually, a compost heap or bin is covered.

This is to keep the majority of the gases trapped inside. Therefore, it helps to mulch down the vegetables and fruits that sit underneath them. However, when you choose Willshee’s to dispose of your food waste, the gases emitted from the rotting fruits and vegetables will rise and power a generator that will produce renewable energy for use throughout the community. This is a great way of disposing of your pumpkins – composting them responsibly.

Trick-or-treating

Hummingbird International states that around 30% of plastic waste packaging at Halloween comes from the sweets and chocolates that are given out when children go ‘trick-or-treating’. This is because many chocolate and sweet wrappers contain polypropylene plastics. As such, they cannot currently be recycled in the UK, according to the Huffington Post. However, there is a move towards paper packaging for chocolates and sweets in Britain. Mars are looking to swap out their plastic wrappers for paper ones as soon as possible, states the BBC.

How to reduce waste this Halloween

Now that we’re aware of the impact that Halloween waste has on the planet, it’s important that we’re thinking of ways in which to reduce our carbon footprint around the spooky season. With this in mind, we’ve provided a few brief hints and tips for reducing the waste you produce around Halloween. You can apply these tips both to Halloween 2024, and to subsequent years. This will help to ensure a truly eco-friendly Halloween year after year. So let’s dive right in and see how you can reduce your Halloween waste:

Reuse costumes – use them again next year, swap them with family and friends or donate them to charity
Source Halloween costumes from charity shops – don’t buy costumes brand new. See what you can put together from the local charity shops instead
Choose treats that are packaged sustainably – choose treats packaged in sustainable materials or that come with no packaging at all
Don’t waste your pumpkins – either consume your pumpkins and the seeds or compost it in the garden. It will help to bring new life to your plants and flowers come spring
Save decorations – keep your decorations stored carefully so that you can use them again year after year. If you don’t want them anymore, give them to a charity shop or hand them out to friends and family

Willshee’s is a dedicated waste management company with many years’ of experience behind us. We’re able to cater for both domestic and commercial clients by way of skip hire, as well as specialist commercial waste management, construction waste management, hazardous waste disposal and more. If you would like further information about how we can help you today, get in touch with a member of our friendly, knowledgeable team – we’re always pleased to hear from you.