Tips for a more sustainable Halloween

20 October 2023

Recycling is no trick, but it is a real treat for the planet. This Halloween, West Northamptonshire Council is sharing top tips for how residents can make sustainable choices, recycle and get creative by making costumes that won’t spook the planet.

If you’re planning on getting dressed up this Halloween, why not look around the wardrobe or the loft to see what outfit could be upcycled or adapted to make a perfect fancy dress costume?

Alternatively, if adapting or making a costume is not an option, consider buying it second hand either online or from a charity shop. If costumes cannot be used next year, you can check on our website the best way to recycle these, or take them to your nearest charity shop or to a textile bank.

Unfortunately, plastic masks and wigs are too scary for collection teams to pick up as they are made from materials that cannot be recycled. Consider donating them to a local charity shop for someone else to use next year.

Carving pumpkins or decorating your house with gourds? Once those pumpkin carvings have done a good amount of scaring, residents can cut down on waste by using the flesh to make Halloween delicacies including pumpkin soup, pie or risotto. Even the seeds can be brought back from the dead boiled in salted water, drained, spread on a baking sheet, and cooked in the oven, they could be making a tasty snack. For delicious recipes visit Love food hate waste.

However, if you still have your pumpkin remains to dispose of, make sure they go into your food waste caddy for composting.

As our residents have a great time with their families, this Halloween, we encourage them to try to avoid any environmental nightmares by reusing old clothes for costumes, and recycling their pumpkin skins after use.

We know most residents do a really good job by recycling as much as they can and WNC thank them for their efforts. We also encourage them to keep up this great work and take a few minutes to put the right thing in the right bin, bag or box to ensure that waste is recycled appropriately.Cllr Phil Larratt, West Northamptonshire Council Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport, Highways and Waste

Residents can find generic information on what goes where, by visiting the waste and recycling pages.