What’s Scarier Than Spooky Season? How Much Plastic We Use During It

Halloween celebrations will generate over 2000 tonnes of plastic waste, the equivalent of 83 million plastic bottles, a new survey has found. The research, which studied 19 major retailers in the UK, means that Halloween is particularly harmful on the environment.

According to environmental charities The Fairyland Trust and Hubbub, 83% of materials used to create Halloween costumes are plastic. And on top of that, seven million costumes are thrown away each year.

While these figures are startling, they’re not even close to the actual figures Halloween as a celebration overall contributes to plastic waste. The report accounts for costumes, but not toys or food packaging that’s specifically bought for Halloween, meaning that the actual ‘plastic footprint’ of Halloween is much larger.

‘This report shows that Halloween celebrations have become an unnecessary and significant source of new plastic waste,’ read the report's conclusion. ‘Plastic dominates the content of Halloween clothing promoted through 19 retail outlets at over 80%. Unless retailers and manufacturers take action to increase the use of non-plastic alternative fibres such as cotton, viscose and lyocell/tencel, this is likely to continue.’

While some might turn to simply recycling their costumes to offset the damage to the environment, The Fairyland Trust states that unfortunately, this isn’t enough. ‘We no longer collect plastic for “recycling” at our events as it is very doubtful that much of it really does get recycled,’ their website read. ‘Even if it does, the re-use process delays (rather than stopping) its final journey into pollution, for example degrading into micro-plastic or being incinerated.’

Instead, the charity suggests people buy from charity shops, re-use costumes or make their own from non-plastic materials.

So, maybe it’s time to dig out those mouse ears you bought for Freshers week in 2010, or stick to trying out a spooky make-up look. Honestly, in our eyes it’s a win-win, save the environment and wear your favourite black dress with a few red lipstick blood smears? Ideal.

Looking for sustainable fashion brands? We've got you covered...