Halloween is creeping up on us! In about a week, kids everywhere will be knocking at your door begging for a trick or treat. Tricks are fun, but you know what they really want is the treat. I have been getting lots of questions about what we hand out for treats and how to have an eco-friendly Halloween. You may be surprised by my answer. Read more to find out!
For years, we followed the crowds to Costco and bought a huge bag of fun-sized candy bars to leave outside our door for all the superheroes, witches, and animals that rang our doorbell on October 31st. The problem with candy wrappers is that they are mostly plastic and a type that is not typically recyclable.
Then, I switched gears and tried to handout something that is allergy friendly. We have so many friends who have kids with nut or gluten allergies and I want them to enjoy the holiday too. So I started purchasing little trinkets instead. Pencils, erasers, spider rings, glow sticks, bead necklaces, stickers, etc. When I started to think about all the plastic waste that I was perpetuating, it made me sweat a little. Not eco-friendly at all!
And now, I have a confession to make…
If you pop over to our house on Halloween, you will be offered a reused item. My kids get so many little things from birthday parties, handed out in goody bags at events, and just for no reason where ever they go. In the past, a lot of it would end up in the garbage, completely untouched as they just don’t need hundreds of little trinkets. We are working on saying no, but a lot of this I don’t have any control over.
Nowadays, I have a box dedicated to these little things and I add to it throughout the year. By the time Halloween roles around, I have a big collection of trinkets to hand out (see picture below). I’ve been surprised how much positive response we had from the kids coming to our door. Some would spend quite a bit of time searching for the perfect thing. My own kids even want to trick or treat at our house. What once was old and forgotten is suddenly new again!
So now I can practically see inside your head and the thoughts that are forming because I had the exact reaction when I first tried this approach. “Wait a minute. Is she really re-gifting her Halloween handouts?”
Well, yes, I really am re-gifting my Halloween handouts. As I mentioned above, we are working on refusing this stuff from entering our house in the first place, but until there is a bigger societal change of rejecting birthday party goody bags, trinkets at the dentist, and really anywhere the kids go, it is inevitable that we will collect these things. The majority of the trinkets we amass are completely untouched and very much reusable. This process only delays the eventual destination of the items – the landfill. But I feel this is a good stepping stone to help move things in the right direction.
There, now you know my deepest, darkest secret. My Halloween routine is definitely not perfect. Of course, we could just sit this holiday out, but that is not part of my Green Life Philosophy. We can enjoy life and still be kind to the environment. Read below for more ideas for eco-friendly Halloween handouts. Feel free to comment with your own ideas too.
Other Eco-Friendly Halloween Handout Ideas
- Coins
- Candy in cardboard boxes such as Nerds, Milk Duds, Mike and Ike’s
- Candy in aluminum foil wrappers such as Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Minis and Hershey’s kisses (this only works if the recipient recycles the foil)
- Alter Eco chocolate truffles. They come in a plant-based compostable wrapper
- Hand out the usual candy in plastic wrappers and give yourself a “plastic tax” by purchasing a candy and snack wrapper pouch from Terracycle
- Orange cuties and apples
If you are more organized than I am and have already bought a gigantic bag of fun sized candy bars from your local wholesaler, no need to return it. And good for you for being so prepared (that is if you haven’t already torn open the bag yourself 😉 ) If this is you, then perhaps you can squirrel away some of these ideas for next year.
Discover more ways to lead an eco-conscious life:
Why I Gave up Bananas for a Year
How to Eat the Seasons: A Complete Guide
