As Halloween comes crawling around the corner, with its candy, costumes and decorations; we can be left with heaps of waste after the holiday is over. The countless candy wrappers, cheap plastic decorations and disposable costumes are just some of the waste that ends up in landfills.
With a little effort, we can all celebrate a greener Halloween.
Beware of the Ghoulish Face. Not only are plastic masks made of pvc and vinyl but that gory make-up applied to you or your kids’ faces can also contain toxins like lead or formaldehyde. A lot of the time the ingredients aren’t even listed on the packages. Instead of buying that one time use fake blood this year, hunt out ingredients in your kitchen that would make a great replacement. Ingredients like syrup, cornstarch and food colouring are great alternatives to make you look as scary as you’d like. If you do need some makeup, invest in everyday make-up that’s organic and can be used by someone after the night of horror is over. Be creative! Use red lipstick for blood and purple for bruises. (Last Halloween, a University of Ohio team found dangerous levels of lead in fake plastic “ugly” teeth meant to be put directly in young mouths. Source: www.greenguide.com)
Be original, make your own costume! When it comes to costumes, have fun with them! Forget the cheap, flimsy, disposable costumes that you’ll see on every other person Halloween night (which might contain toxins like pthalates and cadmium). Instead create your own and get your kids involved in creating their own costume. Use old clothes from the back of your closet or take a trip to your local thrift store. If you don’t have time to make your own creation, try renting or borrowing a costume from a friend.
BYOB. Bring your own bag when it comes to trick-or-treating. Grab an old pillowcase from your closet and have your kids fill up a sack of treats instead of a plastic pumpkin head.
Carve your own pumpkin. Have your trick-or-treaters and party goers ooh and ahh over your own jack-o-lantern creation while they munch on its roasted pumpkin seeds. Remember to look for local pumpkins, instead of those that have travelled the miles to make it to your door.
Go fair-trade and organic. If you can, try to buy organic fair trade candy this Halloween. (43% of the world’s cocoa is produced in the Ivory Coast, where over a quarter of a million children work on cocoa farms without access to education and apply pesticides without adequate safety gear, conditions deemed abusive by the International Labor Organization. Source: www.greenguide.com)
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