Halloween Waste

The Frightful Revelations About Halloween Waste

What was once a US export only celebrated by the few, is now a major date within the UK holiday calendar. The origins of Halloween date back to a Celtic festival known as Samhain but it has certainly come a long way since then. After a few centuries and more than a fair amount of commercialisation, Halloween is celebrated in some form or other by over half of the UK population. Statistics even show that from 2013 to 2018 the accumulative amount that Brits spend on Halloween has nearly doubled. With nightclubs, supermarkets and fast-food chains all wanting a slice of that pumpkin pie, many businesses are competing for the UK’s Halloween expenditure. An unfortunate result of this is a wave of potentially unnecessary Halloween rubbish. The main culprits are…

Halloween Plastic Waste & Polyester

One of the most popular methods to celebrate Halloween is by dressing up in costumes, which is one such item that can contribute to waste. The Guardian reported that from the many millions of costumes which are purchased each year, 7 million are thrown away within the same period.

Halloween costumes are often made using polyester which has both its pros and its cons. A lot of polyester clothing these days is made from rPET materials which can be produced from recycled plastic bottles. Other benefits in using recycled polyester include how it generates 79% less carbon than unrecycled polyester. These facts could convince you that there is no problem in throwing away your old Halloween costume, unfortunately that’s not the case. Once rPET is used to make clothing, it becomes extremely difficult to recycle again because it becomes mixed in with so many different materials.

Keep this in mind when you’re looking to purchase your next Halloween costume. After you’ve used it once will you use it again? Can you pass it down to a friend or family member or can it be reused in other ways? The same can be applied to Halloween decorations: buy them with the intention of storing them away after Halloween. Much like our Christmas decorations, Halloween decorations should be purchased and reused for multiple years.

So, what other waste item is a symptom of the spooky season?

Halloween Food Waste

Along with fancy dress, an equally popular Halloween tradition is the carving of pumpkins. The inventive and spooky ways in which you can carve these vegetables isn’t the only thing that’s scary. The amount of pumpkins that get purchased and simply thrown away is equally frightening.

It has recently been reported that from the 24 million pumpkins which are purchased around Halloween, over half are binned without any part of them being eaten. In the US it’s very common for pumpkins to be used in recipes, yet a lot of us seem to be more than happy to see this avoidable waste go unused. If you’re wondering what you can use pumpkins for, there are a few great suggestions on BBC Good Foods.

This mass of unused vegetables highlights a real problem with a lot of people’s attitudes towards food waste. A report by Sainsbury’s discovered that 7 million tonnes of food is thrown away each year, with over 4 million tonnes of it being avoidable. Contributors to this include overbuying, poor planning and portion control. With all this in mind we’d like to think that people may think twice before binning their pumpkin’s innards. If you’re not keen on pumpkins, other substitutes include purchasing a reusable plastic Halloween pumpkin which can be used each year and doubles as a pot to hold the spoils of a successful trick-or-treating trip.

Removing rubbish. It’s what we do.

About Clearabee

If you have waste that does require getting rid of, whether that’s from Halloween or other occasions – we’ll be able to provide a convenient solution. We are able to offer a ‘Man and Van’ service to clear your waste that can be at your home within the same day of your enquiry. We’re also able to provide skips and Skip Bags which you can keep on your premises to fill at your leisure.