Does Halloween leave you feeling conflicted? You or your kids want to enjoy it, but the waste it generates leaves you feeling queasy? Today I break down how we can engage in Halloween costumes and decor more sustainably, using the ‘5Rs’ framework for guidance.
Scary Halloween stats from Hubbub and Waste Managed:
- 33 million people dress up for the Halloween each year in the UK
- 79% of households with children dress up
- And out of those families planning to dress up, 94% of the families plan on buying new costumes for Halloween in 2023
- However, we know that 83% of Halloween costumes use non-recyclable plastic
- And then 7 million of those costumes are binned each year
- 4 out of 10 costumes having only been worn once
Learn more about the 5 Rs, which are:
- "Refuse what you do not need."
- "Reduce what you do need."
- "Reuse by using reusables."
- "Recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce, or reuse."
- "Rot (compost) the rest."
Read this eye-opening article about why composting is better than sending things to landfill.