03 : spooky season sustainability

 

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Leaves falling... temperatures dropping.... and COP26 beginning on Halloween (is this a coincidence?!?!). 

Now that I am more aware of it, as with many holiday celebrations, waste is paramount throughout Halloween. 

I love this celebration; the excitement of dressing up and the art of bringing a creative vision to life. This one will be extra special, with a chance to see World Leader's costumes too (I wonder if they will be sustainably sourced!)

 When I was younger, I would leap out of bed with excitement on the 31st and I will be doing the same this year. What I won't be doing , however, is celebrating without considering my impact on the planet. Halloween costume 'one wear only' culture needs to be addressed as it is unsustainable. In the lead up to Halloween, we fork out a lot of money to buy a costume, wear it for one night and then, never again. The outfit which was our ticket into the party, is soon to be festering with cobwebs in our cupboard. Or even worse... sent to landfill. It extends further than just the costumes too. We have to consider the decorations. What about those pumpkins you carved? The contents now dropped into the food bin?

Costumes that won't scare the planet...

Make the best of what you have, thrift & reuse.

It is the same message as with any clothing item, before making an irrational purchase, look at your wardrobe and make use of what you already have. You may surprise yourself at what you find and what you can create. 'Multitaskers' in your wardrobe come into their own during this season. These are garments which can be worn multiple times in different ways and are an essential part of a sustainable wardrobe all year round (Madden, 2019). 

For example, a black dress. Multiple costumes can begin here; cat, angel, Cruella Di Vil...your opportunities are endless. Any extra specific accessories can be purchased second hand, made or borrowed from a friend. After the party, re-wear items, donate them to charity or give them to a friend. In this way, you are extending the lifecycle of products, decreasing demand for unsustainable brands and reducing the chances of sending items straight to landfill.

Decorate to Delight the Delegates

Much like costumes, the decorations tend to exhibit a short shelf life during Halloween. However, by reusing your decorations each year, we can break the chain. Another good example is the infamous carved pumpkin, producing over 17,500 tonnes of edible waste per year (Cheaper Waste, 2020). If you plan to buy and carve a real one, there are many ways to utilise the contents.

So let's have a more sustainable spooky season, with no better time to start than the Halloween which lands on COP26. The delegates are doing it, so lets join them! 

References 

CheaperWaste. (2020). Is Waste The Scariest Thing About Halloween? - CheaperWaste. [online] Available at: <https://www.cheaperwaste.co.uk/blog/is-waste-the-scariest-thing-about-halloween/> [Accessed 20 October 2021].

Glover, A., (2021). Pumpkin spice latte recipe | BBC Good Food. [online] Bbcgoodfood.com. Available at: <https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/pumpkin-spice-latte> [Accessed 20 October 2021].

Hubbub Foundation. (2021). Pumpkin passata. [online] Available at: <https://www.hubbub.org.uk/pumpkin-passata> [Accessed 20 October 2021].

Madden, L., (2019). Conscious Costuming: How to Have a Sustainable Halloween. [online] Remake. Available at: <https://remake.world/stories/style/conscious-costuming-how-to-have-a-sustainable-halloween/> [Accessed 19 October 2021].