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Have your cake and eat it too! Is it possible?
This week, we celebrated Halloween. Living in Australia, it’s not quite as big a deal as it is in the US or UK, but it’s certainly growing in popularity.
I love Halloween, but the downside is that it doesn't really fit with my efforts for a sustainable lifestyle. Halloween can create a lot of waste, especially from all the candy wrappers made of non-recyclable plastic, which either end up littering streets or sitting in landfills. Then there's the single-use decorations and costumes, which often aren’t made to last.
For a few years now, I’ve considered skipping Halloween entirely because of the waste it creates. But my husband always reminds me how much fun it is for us and our community. Life can be challenging, and we all need moments to look forward to and chances to connect with others outside of our digital lives.
So, the question is: can we celebrate Halloween, Diwali, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chinese New Year, Easter, and all the other wonderful festivals while still taking care of our planet?
Absolutely, we can!
It’s about finding creative ways to make these celebrations more sustainable without giving them up entirely. For example, for Halloween, we don’t buy any new decorations. All our decorations are 5-10 years old, and we use them year after year. Some we even made ourselves from things around the house and garden. We also skip the fake spider webbing—it’s hazardous to bugs and birds, and polyester strands can leave behind microplastics.
When it comes to treats, I sometimes hand out Halloween-themed pencils and erasers instead of sweets. This year, we only purchased one type of candy that comes in recyclable paper packaging. We try to avoid plastic-wrapped candies as much as we can. I also do a clean-up the next morning, picking up any stray candy wrappers on the streets (hopefully dropped by accident!).
These actions may seem small, but they make a difference. They allow us to celebrate while ensuring we have a less negative influence on the environment.
So now that Halloween is over let's start thinking about the next few celebrations coming up.
Whether it's Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Chinese New Year, or an upcoming birthday or wedding there are many ways you can lower your impact.
Here are my top 50 tips. Just choose a couple of things to start making a difference.
- Avoid physical gifts and go for experiences.
- Buy second-hand or recycled gifts. Take a look at Earth Hero.
- Rent a Christmas tree.
- Ask your family what they really need to avoid unwanted gifts.
- Consider the type of packaging before you buy a gift. Ask questions like Can it be recycled easily?
- Get creative with your decorations and make your own.
- Avoid food waste by planning your meals carefully.
- Invest in reusable napkins.
- Take your own containers when buying from local suppliers.
- Cover food and refrigerate leftovers as soon as you can.
- Educate your guests, and include a note in your invitations encouraging attendees to be mindful of their impact.
- Support a charity instead of buying a gift.
- Consider opting for zero-waste party favors such as small potted plants or homemade treats in reusable containers.
- Reuse everything from gift baskets and bags, wrapping paper, and even your hong bao packets for Chinese New Year.
- Stick to plain paper and avoid shiny and metallic wrapping paper. Find out How To Tell If Your Wrapping Paper Is Recyclable.
- Create your own personalized vouchers offering something you know they need like helping with something around the house or taking them out for dinner.
- Choose decorations that you know can be recycled after use.
- Avoid single-use plates, cups, and cutlery.
- Choose biodegradable where possible.
- Recycle, recycle, recycle - learn what you can recycle.
- Invest in a reusable advent calendar that the kids can look forward to opening every year.
- Shop your wardrobe rather than be tempted to buy a new outfit. Opt for second-hand if you need something, buying from Preworn is a great option.
- Join your local Buy-Nothing group to see if anyone has any decorations you can reuse or give yours away once you've finished with them.
- Consider going naked! And leave your presents unwrapped.
- Shop at your local bulk food store to save on packaging.
- Check your local charity store if you need extra crockery or glassware. That way you can return it after and it won't fill up your cupboards.
- Choose paper packaging when possible. It's more recyclable than plastic.
- Recycle your fairy lights. Check out Recycle your christmas lights.
- Make your own treats for the party.
- Ask yourself if you really need more decorations. Sometimes less is more.
- Use biodegradable confetti for weddings or make it from leaves using a punch.
- Use gift cards made from recycled paper or send an e-card instead.
- Compost your leftover food.
- Talk to your boss about choosing low-waste options for your work function.
- Hire your plates, bowls, and cups from the Party Kit Network.
- Pick flowers from your garden instead of buying them.
- Avoid anything with glitter on it as it leads to microplastics in the environment. Look out for plant-based glitter if you can't do without it.
- Skip helium balloons, they can escape and end up endangering wildlife. Find alternatives like paper or reusable decorations.
- Try not to buy novelty gifts, they might seem fun at the time but the novelty usually wears off quickly and they go straight to the garbage bin.
- Borrow what you need from your friends, family, or neighbors.
- Shop locally and support small businesses.
- Avoid cheap plastic decorations.
- Get the kids involved early in helping to make the celebration more planet-friendly.
- Dispose of party waste properly. Learn your local curbside rules and keep contamination out of your bins.
- Let your friends and family know that you don't want any presents this year. It's best to start early to wear them down if they're a little resistant.
- Seek out sustainable party supplies like biodegradable or paper-based.
- Buy good quality decorations that will last many years.
- Donate your unwanted gifts so they can be used by others.
- Avoid buying cheap crackers with throwaway plastic trinkets and make your own instead.
- Put out separate bins to collect recyclables like glass, plastic, and metal at your event to help encourage guests to recycle.
Here are some articles to inspire you:
And why not run through my Curbside Recycling Challenge for a refresher on recycling?
What I am reading and listening to
Catch up on your reading
What happens at a landfill?
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How are Bioplastics Made, What Are They, And Are They Good?
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