DIY Sustainable Halloween

Is it just us, or is 2019 zipping past in a total blur?! We just realised that trick-or-treat season is right around the corner — if we’re wanting to jump on that ghoulish ghost train, we really need to get our skates on!

We love any excuse to dress-up, celebrate, and eat good food. But what we don’t always love is the amount of waste that inadvertently gets created during the Holiday season. From disposable party cups to plastic decorations and our too-well-laid dinner tables (more is more, right?) the environmental impact from all that fun can sometimes leave a not-so-festive taste in our mouth.

This year, why not commit to reducing the waste from your Halloween celebrations? Simply by using a little creative thinking and some DIY magic, you can get in the spooky spirit without breaking the bank or ruining the planet.

Here’s some inspiration:

Mummy

A classic costume that never gets old! You can transform yourself into a spooky, scary, walking-dead mummy by cutting up old sheets into strips to wrap around yourself, or even using toilet paper. Make sure to dust your face with white powder or use face paint, and add smears of red food colouring or tomato sauce to make it a little gorier.

Jellyfish

Not exactly scary, but an eerie floating jellyfish costume is easy and incredibly impactful. Start with a clear or white umbrella, and attach an assortment of hanging strips as stingers — you can use whatever you have handy at home, like ribbons, strips of cellophane, fabric, or string. Add a couple of glow sticks or some solar-powered fairy lights under the umbrella for glowy, luminescent nighttime effect.

Bubble bath

Dress your little one in a top-to-toe sudsy colour (white or light blue works a treat!) and attach a mixture of clear and white 100% Biodegradable, Latex balloons all around them. Add a shower cap and some handheld bath accessories, like a rubber duck or body brush.

Jack-o-lantern

For DIY decorations, you can’t go wrong with a classic Jack-o-lantern. Thankfully, this Halloween fave is fantastically low-impact. If you’re likely to make pumpkin carving an annual tradition, it might be worth investing in some proper carving tools. But otherwise, you can get by just fine with a couple of decent knives (you’ll need a serrated knife and a sharp utility knife) and metal spoons.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Line a sturdy table with newspaper or a plastic tablecloth. Take your pumpkin and (choosing the smoothest side!) sketch a face with a marker pen: eyes, nose, and a pointy toothy grin.
2. Draw a circular lid around the stem of your pumpkin, about 12cm in diameter. With a serrated knife or slim pumpkin carving tool, cut out your lid, making sure to slice through the pumpkin on a 45-degree inward angle — this will ensure your lid sits on top of the opening, rather than falling in.
3. Use your hands to grab out all the pulpy seeds and place them into a bowl. Then, scoop out the inside flesh and guts of your pumpkin using a metal spoon, and place into a bowl. You need to make sure that there are no stringy bits left in the pumpkin.
4. Clean and dry the outside of your pumpkin with a paper towel. Using your serrated knife, make straight cuts in a sawing motion along the lines of your face design to remove the inner pieces.
5. Clean up the edges on your face using a utility knife (or the wire tool from your carving tool kit). Set a tea light candle inside your jack-o-lantern, and use a long match to light it before replacing the lid.

And with the scraps…

Get even more earth points by using the innards from your homemade jack-o-lantern to make a delicious, hearty pumpkin soup! Recipe here.