From the Editor: Why we need to rethink the way we shop for Halloween
Art by Mikayla Croucher
Halloween is looming near, the one night of the year when we dress up in fun costumes with our family and friends, eat tons of candy, carve spooky pumpkins, and if you dare, watch scary movies.
It’s also a holiday where the waste we create increases significantly. Halloween has become a time of the year marked by consumerism — from the trendiest costumes and decorations to the piles of plastic-coated candy wrappers.
However, don’t fret. While it is almost impossible to celebrate the holiday completely green, there are ways to reduce your waste this Halloween season.
Canadians spent $1.64 billion on Halloween last year, including costumes. Research from Fairyland Trust and Hubbub suggests that in the United Kingdom, 83 per cent of costumes use non-recyclable plastic, which is roughly equivalent to the weight of 83 million Coca-Cola bottles. Costumes made out of unrecyclable materials create extra waste in landfills and take decades, if not more, to decompose. An estimated seven million costumes are thrown out every year.
Thrifting your next Halloween costume is a great way to reduce this waste, and there are many options out there to do so. Check out your local thrift store to see what they have on the costume rack. Oftentimes they have tons of costumes to choose from which are cheaper than buying them brand new.
Dressing up for Halloween is a time to look good, but also be creative. Even if there is a costume you don’t like or isn’t your size, you can check out the normal racks and create your own costume.
If thrifting isn’t your style, reusing your costume from last year or swapping with a group of friends are great options. Re-wearing the same costume as the previous year might feel repetitive, but it would save you money in the long-run and as students, we are always trying to save whenever we can. Swapping either your entire costume or bits and pieces with a group of friends would not only save you money but create opportunities to get creative and have fun. Who knows, you might be able to make a vintage Barbie costume from what you find.
While thrifting can be one way to buy a costume, sometimes it’s difficult to find what we’re really looking for. If you do buy brand new, one way to reduce waste is to research the materials you’re buying from. Organic cotton and hemp as well as recycled plastic are some materials you can look for when buying your next costume.
Sustainable materials are not just better for the planet, but for us too. As a kid, there were so many times I wore a Halloween costume that felt itchy on my skin or just uncomfortable. Sustainable materials are better for our skin as they have little to no harsh chemicals.
Costume rental shops are also an option since you can pay to rent the costume you want to have, meaning there would be less consumption and you’d spend less money on an outfit just to have it sit in your closet or throw away. There are plenty of costume rental shops around Metro Vancouver to check out.
Reducing waste isn’t just about the costumes we wear for Halloween, but also the way we consume candies and pumpkins. If you’re giving out candy, try to find companies that use biodegradable packaging. For carving a pumpkin, use the rest of the remains whether it be cooking the seeds to snack on, make a pie, or other recipes.
Halloween should be fun, not a scary time of year for the environment. Our society has become so focused on consumption and taking part in the latest fads that we sometimes forget the negative impact it has on our planet. Changing how we get ready for the Halloween season can not only make a difference for the earth, but encourage others to do the same.
