Last updated on October 30, 2024.
Did you know that Americans spent a record-setting $12.2 billion on Halloween in 2023? Or that we spent $3.6 billion on candy that is individually wrapped and thrown away?1 And that most of it’s not recyclable and just ends up in landfills (or bodies of water)?
Don’t have guilt. Get inspired!
I don’t want to make you feel bad about it. That’s not why I’m here. And I do recognize the importance of individually-wrapped items since the Covid-19 pandemic. But I want to inspire you to be forward-thinking. I want to get you thinking about next year, and what we can do to eliminate some of the wastefulness.
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and I absolutely participate! Especially because I have a young son and I want to share all of the Halloween traditions with him. Surely, I can reduce waste from this holiday and still have a silly great time!
So what can we do going forward?
Start thinking about the big picture and ask questions: How many candy wrappers do we throw away, just in the United States? How many costumes are tossed in a landfill instead of reused or donated? What is the total amount of decorations made of cheap plastic that get used for only one Halloween before they end up in a landfill? Do many pumpkins go into a landfill instead of being used as food or composted? How many resources are wasted on this one holiday?
I’m actually not sure. I couldn’t find exact data for any of those things. But today I’m focusing on candy.
Candy & Their Wrappers
Recycle Nation calls Halloween candy “Halloween’s Environmental Nightmare.” Putting plastic wrappers into regular recycling is not possible.2 They aren’t made of materials that are collected by recycling facilities. Hershey’s Kisses, gold chocolate coins, and other types of candies are wrapped in aluminum foil, which is great if you live in a town or city that accepts aluminum foil through the recycling system. Unfortunately, where I live in the Southeast, it is not accepted. Even so, foil-wrapped candies would be better than plastic!
Sometimes candy wrappers can be upcycled. TerraCycle and lots of artists on Etsy.com make upcycled candy wrapper bags, purses, and many other items. TerraCycle sells zero-waste boxes for candy and snack wrappers, and they take the collected materials and make them into new products.3hey are expensive, and not everyone can afford this option. Realistically, recycling candy wrappers is not the solution.
So what is the solution? There are a few ways to drastically reduce plastic waste.
Trick-or-treaters at your house
If you purchase candy to give out to trick-or-treaters, think about candy that comes in fully recyclable packaging, such as cardboard or paper.4 Think Nerds, Junior Mints, Pixie Sticks, Dots, or Milk Duds. Find lollipops that are paper-wrapped and not plastic-wrapped. Maybe small boxes of raisins or paper-wrapped truffles. Another great idea is to buy individually wrapped candies in bulk, such as chocolate candies wrapped in aluminum foil.
Another idea I’ve found online is giving out coins for trick-or-treating. I remember finding quarters in my Halloween bag when I was a kid. Have kids close their eyes, reach into a bowl, and grab a handful. Child obesity is very high these days, so this could be a good option!
Think outside the box! Maybe seed packets or small wooden toys? Pencils or crayons? Drinks in aluminum cans, which might be quite refreshing after running from house to house all evening. Anything to stop this huge plastic waste stream. Others suggest different types of fruit, such as oranges and tangerines, but the fear of poisoned foods will likely result in the fruit being thrown away.
If you are having a Halloween party, purchase candy in bulk using your own jars or cloth bags to avoid the candy wrapper dilemma altogether. Wrap candies in small paper bags and decorate them!
Taking your children trick-or-treating
How about reducing the amount of trick-or-treating you participate in? It’s fun to go house to house (or trunk to trunk), and kids love the reward of candy. But you, as a parent, know how much candy is enough for your household – so stop there. This is how our family does it. We try to focus on the experience and fun, not the candy gathering. Encourage the fun by just walking the neighborhood, and shifting the focus from obtaining an excessive amount of candy. Maybe just stop at every other house on your route. Your whole family will still have a great time!
Trash Art?
Last, how about using the candy wrappers for art? There are hundreds of art project ideas out there, just search “upcycle candy wrappers” online and you’ll find them. Anything from vases to handbags, hair bows to dresses. This is one of my favorites that I’d like to try someday:
Trash & Litter
The last thing I want to say about candy wrappers is the amount of litter they create on Halloween. Kids don’t necessarily mean to drop things, they just do – even the environmentally-conscious ones. I’m part of the Litterati, and I plan to photograph and pick up every piece of litter that I see while taking my son trick-or-treating. It will be mostly candy wrappers, but we live in a city that has the Tennessee River flowing right through the center of it. So I feel compelled to pick up those wrappers!
Can you do the same thing, pick up the candy wrappers and trash? Can you join the Litterati? Will you be the change?
As always, thanks for reading. I’d love to know if you have any out-of-the-box ideas about reducing waste from Halloween. Please leave me a comment below!
Footnotes:
- Article, “How Much Americans Spend on Halloween,” Investopedia, Updated October 17, 2024. ↩︎
- Article, “Candy Wrappers: Halloween’s Environmental Nightmare” Recycle Nation, October 8, 2015. ↩︎
- Webpage, “Candy and Snack Wrappers – Zero Waste Box™,” TerraCycle, accessed March 28, 2021. ↩︎
- Book, Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste, by Bea Johnson, Scribner, New York, 2013. ↩︎
