YOUR PLASTIC-FREE GUIDE TO

HALLOWEEN
» Your costume and decorations should be scary … not your trash can.
Use these tips to reduce your single-use plastic waste this Halloween.

1
DECORATIONS
3
TRICK-OR-
BY ELLA SCHWARTZ

TREATING
Instead of buying plastic
decorations, gather
Ask your parents to hand
colorful leaves from

2
out candy wrapped in paper,
your yard to tape onto
foil, or little cardboard
your windows, cut
boxes instead of plastic
bat shapes out of
black paper, and
use string to create a
COSTUMES on Halloween night.

Carry your loot in a

spooky spider web.
pillowcase or reusable
Ditch expensive, cloth bag instead of a
Carve a pumpkin, plastic-wrapped plastic container.
then roast the seeds costumes from the
you scooped out for a store for costumes Send your empty wrappers
homemade snack instead you can create from to a recycling company like
of one packaged in plastic. your house. Raid your TerraCycle.
parents’ closest for
If you decide to get funky hats, ties, Mail your wrappers back to
store-bought decorations, scarves, and jewelry. the candy companies with a
choose items you can

SHUTTERSTOCK (WRAPPED CANDIES); LJUPCO SMOKOVSKI / SHUTTERSTOCK (BAG); DANNY SMYTHE / SHUTTERSTOCK (CANDY CORN)
letter asking them to create

SHUTTERSTOCK (BAT, GHOST); ALKESTIDA / DREAMSTIME (PUMPKIN); SERGIY KUZMIN / SHUTTERSTOCK (LOOSE CANDIES); KOYA979 /
reuse every year. Swap last year’s compostable wrappers.

PUKACH / SHUTTERSTOCK (LEAF); VERONICA LOURO / DREAMSTIME (MUMMY); NATALIIA K / SHUTTERSTOCK (WEB); INK DROP /
costumes with a
Create a creepy mood friend instead of
with a Halloween playlist buying something
instead of adding more new.
decor.
Make your costume:
Wear an old sheet as
a cape or toga, use a
ripped shirt to create
a zombie look, or wrap
yourself in toilet paper
to transform into a
TRICK-OR-
TREAT
mummy.

Browse a thrift store

for secondhand(and
packaging-free)
costumes.

National Geographic Kids and the Yellow Border Design are trademarks of National Geographic Society and used under license.

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