Zero Waste Halloween: Simple, Sustainable Ideas for Costumes, Candy, and Décor
Is a zero waste Halloween really possible? Ghouls, ghosts, and witches have been replaced by sugar, palm oil, and plastic. But have no fear! A zero waste Halloween is definitely within reach. Whether you have kids of your own, kids in your life, or love being a kid yourself on Halloween, we have some suggestions for how to lower your ecological footprint this year.
Remember that you don’t have to change everything all at once! Shifting to a zero waste lifestyle, especially during the holidays, needs to be sustainable for your family too. Discussing how to approach the holidays each year with your family is a valuable exercise in determining what your values are, what you can afford, what is reasonable in your community, and what you are willing to personally change. You can create new traditions with alternative ways of doing things and have a ton of fun in the process!
Prefer to listen instead? On the Sustainable in the Suburbs podcast, I share how to celebrate Halloween without the plastic overload — from costumes and candy to décor and pumpkins. It’s full of practical, budget-friendly ideas to help you enjoy the holiday while cutting waste and saving money.
How Much Waste Does Halloween Really Create?
Halloween has become one of the most expensive (and most wasteful) holidays of the year. In the U.S. alone, spending is projected to reach $13 billion USD in 2025, with most of that money spent on things we use once and toss. Costumes, candy, and decorations are the biggest culprits — and almost all of them are made with or wrapped in plastic.
Americans buy an estimated 600 million pounds of Halloween candy each year and most of it comes wrapped in plastic that can’t be recycled. The same goes for costumes — about 83% are made from non-recyclable fabrics like polyester, nylon, and PVC, with 35 million costumes thrown away each year. And when the season is over, more than 1 billion pounds of pumpkins are sent to landfill instead of being eaten, composted, or used to feed animals.
It all adds up to a holiday that’s fun for one night and costly for months after — not just for our planet, but for our wallets too. Because every piece of plastic, every uneaten pumpkin, and every throwaway costume is money literally being tossed in the bin.
Avoiding Halloween entirely is out of the question for my family. The kids want to go trick-or-treating and my husband wants us to hand out treats to the neighbourhood. We all sat down and mapped out the biggest sources of waste and figured out some alternatives for the biggest three areas: costumes, decorations, and treats.
Zero Waste Halloween Costumes
There is no need to buy a new costume every year! New costumes are not only mostly plastic, but they are expensive, with Americans now spending over $4 billion a year on them. But a little creativity goes a long way and can save you so much money— my kids happily wore the same thrifted costumes three years in a row!
Here are some options for transforming yourself on the big night:
- Make one! If you sew or are someone who can gather items from around the house and turn them into something magical, this is your chance to shine. Cruise Pinterest boards for inspiration and create something unique.
- Swap! Ask friends, neighbours, and other parents. Chances are there is a box of costumes somewhere just waiting to be worn again. You can even start a swap at your school by setting up a rack near the front door where folks can drop off or pick up costumes all month long.
- Rent a costume! This can be pricey, but may be a good option if you are looking for something specific.
- Thrift! Stores start putting out pre-loved costumes in September so keep your eyes open. If you plan to make a costume, this is a great place to shop for the elements of your vision. Check online in places like Facebook “Buy Nothing” groups, FreeCycle, Craigslist, Kijiji, VarageSale and so on.
Sustainable Halloween Decorations
Halloween decorations seem to hit store shelves earlier every year — sometimes as soon as July — and it’s easy to get swept up in buying more plastic “must-haves.” But the best décor is often the simplest: natural, reusable, and compostable.
Whether you’re decorating your porch, planning a party, or just setting the mood, here are some ways to keep it festive without all the waste:
- Pumpkins are the go to Halloween decoration in North America, but consider all manner of other gourds, turnips, melons, and even pineapples.
- Double up! Canadian Thanksgiving is a few weeks before Halloween and American Thanksgiving falls a few weeks later. Consider choosing natural decorations that can be used for both holidays, such as straw bales, corn husks, pumpkins and gourds.
- Choose gourds that you can also eat (such as pie pumpkins). Paint or draw faces on them rather than carving.
- If you do choose to carve a pumpkin, save the seeds for roasting.
- Be sure to compost your natural decorations (where available) when the season is over.
- Use what you have! If you already have decorations, keep them in good repair and use them year after year.
- Thrift stores and selling apps are a great place to look for reusable decorations if that is more your style. Be mindful that folks are looking to “get rid of” things right after a holiday, so keep an eye out in November for next year! If you no longer wish to use decorations from past years, consider actively giving them away on selling platforms.
One decoration to skip entirely? Fake spiderwebs. They’re made of synthetic plastic fibres that shed microplastics and can be dangerous for wildlife. Bird and wildlife experts warn that small animals often become entangled in them during fall migration, and they can also be a hazard to pets and a fire risk near open flames. Try reusable fabric webs instead, or create your own spooky look with branches, twigs, and string lights — all the atmosphere, none of the waste.
Zero Waste Halloween Candy
This is likely the biggest stumbling for folks looking to have a waste-free holiday. Innumerable sugary treats made with palm oil all individually wrapped in plastic, with everything destined for the trash. The lists of alternatives to candy out there are also mostly filled with plastic junk. Going zero waste here may not be entirely possible, but reducing waste certainly is.
Most Halloween candy comes wrapped in non-recyclable plastic, but a few small choices can make a big difference:
- Choose foil-wrapped chocolates where you can. Collect the foil, roll it into a ball about the size of your fist, and add it to your curbside recycling (check your local guidelines to be sure).
- Buy a little less. It saves money, reduces waste, and avoids the leftover candy overload that tends to last until December.
- Look for Fairtrade-certified chocolate. It’s a small shift that helps ensure farmers are paid fairly and that cocoa is sourced responsibly.
- Be mindful of who manufactures your treats to make sure their values align with your own.
If you are going out to trick or treat, plan ahead with your kids on a set time limit or neighbourhood area to limit the amount of conventional candy they collect. Use a reusable bag or pillowcase for collecting.
Some areas may have a take-back program for conventional wrappers that your kids end up collecting. Check with your local council or municipality for more information. TerraCycle in Canada and the U.S. both have programs as well.
Remember that it is okay to decline to hand out candy! You can hand out an alternative or simply go out for the evening – whatever feels best for you.
Halloween Treat Alternatives
- Alternatives to handing out candy (*note that other parents may not be comfortable with non-packaged food items and may toss these items in the trash, so use your best judgment based on your community. Consider having a few different bowls of this or that that kids can choose from):
- Pencils
- Crayons
- Erasers
- Tangerines/clementines with drawn on “pumpkin faces”
- Bulk candy with a scoop
- UNICEF donations
- Temporary tattoos
- Offer a “trick” instead! A magic trick or sensory table of scary/slimy things they can check out with spooky music playing in the background.
- Candy or raisins in cardboard boxes. Several candy brands do package in cardboard, so be sure to encourage the kids to recycle it when they are done!
- Crafting bits and bobs – if you are in the process of decluttering your craft supplies, consider offering a bowl of goodies for kids to choose from.
- Canned drinks – aluminum is highly recyclable, but consider low sugar options.
What to Do With Your Pumpkins After Halloween
More than one billion pounds of pumpkins end up in U.S. landfills every year, where they slowly decompose and release methane, a greenhouse gas more than 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide. But pumpkins don’t have to go to waste — there are plenty of easy, sustainable ways to give them a second life.
- Eat them! Carving pumpkins may not be as sweet as pie pumpkins, but they’re still edible. Roast the flesh for soup, muffins, or curries, and don’t forget to save the seeds for roasting.
- Compost them. Pumpkins are 90% water and break down quickly. Remove any candles, paint, or glitter first, and toss them in your green bin or backyard compost.
- Share them with animals. Many local farms or animal sanctuaries will happily take unpainted pumpkins as feed — just check before dropping them off.
- Join (or start!) a Pumpkin Parade. In Toronto, communities bring their jack-o’-lanterns to local parks on November 1 for one last night of light before the city collects and composts them. If your town doesn’t have one, this is a fun and easy community event to organize.
- Get creative. Use dried pumpkin shells as planters for fall flowers or herbs, or keep uncarved pumpkins and gourds for Thanksgiving décor.
Pumpkins are such a joyful part of the season — and keeping them out of the landfill is one of the simplest ways to make Halloween a little greener!
However you decide to celebrate Halloween this year, sustainable options are out there. As with anything zero waste, it takes a little thought and planning but it is doable – you won’t be haunted by trash this year!
Originally published October 12, 2022 . Last updated October 6, 2025.
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