Fall leaves, orange and red, on a tree branch with sunset light background. — Image by Hans from Pixabay.

Fall is my favorite season. The weather cools, the air is less humid, the colors change, and it is more enjoyable to be outdoors. I love the family memories we’ve made. We’ve played in fall leaves, hunted pumpkin patches for the best pumpkins, picked apples, and enjoyed the smells and flavors of autumn. And of course, Halloween is one of our favorite holidays!

But the waste from Fall can be great. For Halloween alone, Americans will spend $13.1 billion in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation.¹ With that comes a great deal of waste: Halloween costumes, candy, food, and beverages come with a lot of disposable plastic packaging. In the current economy, I think most of us need to save money, and we need to limit waste.

Zero waste is such a great concept, but not always practical. If we aspire toward limited waste, that will still make a huge difference to the environment, our homes, and our psyches.

Here are some ways you can save money, be healthier, and limit waste this Fall!

Pumpkin Spice Everything

Cup of cocoa or coffee with marshmallows and cinnamon sticks on top, sitting on a wooden board, surrounded by pumpkins, orange berries, pine cones, and green leaves. — Image by Ylanite Koppens from Pixabay.

Besides the traditional pumpkin spice coffee, there’s now pumpkin spice-flavored everything…from cereal and cookies to candles and hand soap, and even baked goods and dairy products. My son insisted I buy pumpkin spice-flavored whipped cream at the grocery store this week! I say indulge in a treat or two, but resist the urge to buy pumpkin spice everything, especially those products that come in disposable packaging (such as whipped cream in a metal can, which is not recyclable where we live). Though that and one pumpkin spice latte is all we’ve bought this season, so we’ve limited waste in this category.

You can always make your own pumpkin spice bread, coffee, or cupcakes at home. This will save money and limit waste, and maybe even be healthier. (Then the house will smell good, too.)

Also, if you get a pumpkin-spice latte or coffee, drink it at the coffee shop in a ceramic mug – or bring your own insulated travel mug!

Pumpkins & Jack O’Lanterns

Three orange pumpkin Jack O'Lanterns sitting outside surrounded by fall leaves and colors. — Image by Mayur Gadge from Pixabay.

Who doesn’t love the sight of a beautiful pumpkin? Many use them as decorations, and though expensive, this is far better than buying cheap plastic decorations that are likely to break or degrade quickly. Especially if you compost or consume the pumpkin before it starts to rot.

It’s better to pick your pumpkins at a pumpkin patch because freshly cut pumpkins last much longer than pre-picked ones from the store. Plus, picking your own pumpkins from a patch is a lot more fun!

If you’re going to carve a Jack O’Lantern, save the seeds to make a great snack! My son looks forward to this part almost more than the Jack O’Lantern part, honestly. This limits waste, and it is a super healthy snack.

Simply scoop the seeds, wash them and separate them from the pumpkin pulp, and dry them on a towel. Next, season them with extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, and cumin powder. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer, and roast at 275° for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Then eat!

Seasoned pumpkin seeds on a white plate with yellow/gold pattern around edge. — Photo by Marie Cullis.

The most important thing with a Jack O’Lantern is that you compost it once you’re ready to discard it.

Apple Picking

Pink-red apples dangling from branches with green leaves, and a blue sky background. — Image by beccazsky from Pixabay.

If you can get to an apple orchard, this is a wonderful way to celebrate fall. There is nothing more delicious and healthy than a crisp, fresh-picked apple. At most self-pick orchards, you can purchase a basket that you return with every year, instead of using plastic bags. Picking apples is healthier because the fruit is local and fresher (though not necessarily less expensive than apples from the grocery store). You’re likely also supporting a small business.

You can bake any number of apple yumminess and with limited waste, especially if you compost the apple peels and cores. Or, make apple cider vinegar from them (which I’ve done with only mixed success). That would make it zero waste!

Bonus if you go to an orchard where you pick apples and a pumpkin!

Basket of apples with flowers in a vase in background, on a wooden table. — Photo by Marie Cullis.

Fall Leaves

This is an easy category to limit waste. If you read my article on Fall leaves disposal, then you already know that leaves should never be bagged in plastic or sent to the landfill. Fall leaves biodegrade on the ground, in the compost, or in the woods. I don’t recommend burning because they can spark and start fires, and also because the smoke is not healthy to breathe, even from a distance. Check with your local municipal entity to see how you can safely discard leaves. Please read my article for additional information.

Halloween Costumes

Phot from inside of a Spirit Halloween store, showing black shelving with costumes in plastic packaging, cement floor, orange signage. — Photo by Phillip Pessar on Flickr, Creative Commons license (CC BY 2.0).

New costumes can contain chemicals, come in plastic packaging, and are expensive. The easiest way to save money, limit plastic packaging waste, and be healthier is to buy costumes second-hand, from any store that sells used clothing. The materials will have already off-gassed, making them less toxic to you.

The next simplest method for costuming is using what you already have at home, which limits waste and saves money. Trading costumes with friends or getting them at clothing swaps/sales is also an option.

Or, you can do a combination of those.

While I have purchased a brand-new costume once, my son usually insists on piecing together his own costume (and not for environmental reasons). Last year, he wanted to be Roronoa Zoro from the One Piece anime series. He wanted a costume like this:

Person in costume of character with green hair, white shirt, green haramaki, and black pants and swords. Brown background.

Online, the costume was more than $50, packaged in plastic, and did not include the earring or swords!

At the thrift store, we bought a small women’s white shirt with an opening at the chest, and rolled up the sleeves. We then found a black and green striped shirt that I cut up and resewed into the haramaki and the tie on his arm. I also found a pair of children’s black pants in his size at the same thrift store. We used a black bandana that we already had at home for his head, since he couldn’t dye his hair green due to a theatrical performance he was in at the time. And he already owned the three play swords.

Child dressed up as Roronoa Zoro, white shirt, 3 swords, green mid piece, black pants and bandana. Parking lot background. — Photo by Marie Cullis.

The most challenging part was the three-piece earring. Since my son’s ears aren’t pierced, I decided to make something similar to what Zoro wears. I made this earring from a paper clip to form a “clip-on” earring, and attached three pieces of nose bridge strips for cloth masks (bought during Covid times) and painted them gold. I was pretty proud of this costume and thought he looked amazing!

Child's profiled face, showing black bandana and gold earring up close. — Photo by Marie Cullis.

For more Halloween costume ideas, Pinterest is a great resource. Also, Kathryn Kellogg has a great article and video on Halloween costumes you may already have in your closet, which I’ve linked in the footnotes below.²

Halloween Candy

This is a difficult waste stream to avoid, but it can be done.

If you’re giving out candy, there are lots of options! Read my article on Halloween candy wrapper waste to find ways to avoid plastic waste. The best option is to buy individually wrapped candy in bulk (like foil wrapped chocolates) or boxed candy (Junior Mints, Milk Duds, Nerds, etc).

If you’re trick-or-treating, navigating that waste stream is much more challenging. The best approach is to recycle any wrappers you can (paper, cardboard, etc.) and limit the amount of candy you bring home. You can’t control what others give out, and you’re grateful that they are spending their hard-earned money on giving free candy to hordes of children, including yours. It’s best to limit how much you collect, and if you get too much, share it with friends, family, or coworkers.

Happy Fall and Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween illustration, orange background with black silhouettes of jack o'lanterns, owls, cats, bats, and a spider. — Image by Alexa from Pixabay.

I hope this article gave you some ideas about how to save money and limit waste. Leave me a comment if you have a question or suggestion. Thanks for reading, and please subscribe. Have a lovely Fall and Halloween!

Footnotes:

Page, Halloween data center, National Retail Federation, accessed October 19, 2025. ↩︎
Blog post, “Ethical Halloween Costumes: Plus Six Costumes You Have in Your Closet,” by Kathryn Kellogg, goingzerowaste.com, updated January 23, 2024. ↩︎

Last updated on June 16, 2024.

Red and orange leave on ground — Photo by Marie Cullis.

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald

Fall is my favorite season! I love the drop in temperature, the changing hues, the sight of leaves floating down, and the sound of leaves crunching under my feet. We have a big backyard with a wooded area and many trees. We rarely rake our leaves because I like the sight of them and my son and I can look for pretty ones.

But by the end of the season, many people feel the need to remove leaves. You can simply leave the leaves! But if you must do something about your fall leaves, here are some eco-friendly tips about how to manage them in your yard.

“Autumn leaves are falling, filling up the streets; golden colors on the lawn, nature’s trick or treat!”–Rusty Fischer

Three colorful leaves lined up together — Photo by Marie Cullis.

To remove, or not to remove

I am a proponent of letting nature go through its natural processes. We leave our leaves in the fall and by spring we either mow them and let the bits settle into the ground, or we rake them and put them in our compost bin. Leave your leaves if you can! Let your kids or dogs play in them. This is the most natural and Earth-friendly option.

But leaves can sometimes cause problems and in those situations must be removed. Leaves left on some types of grass will smother grass growth come spring. Leaves left in your yard can also allow a certain type of outdoor mold to grow on your lawn. Leaf dander can affect people with allergies (I’m one of them, so no argument there). Also, leaves cannot be left on roofs and in gutters for obvious reasons.

Ways NOT to Dispose of Leaves

Whether you rake, blow, shovel, or mow your leaves, there are several natural and healthy ways to dispose of them. But whatever you do, please don’t bag them in plastic! Placing 100% biodegradable contents into a sealed plastic bag that goes to a landfill where they will never biodegrade is the worst practice for the environment.

Leaves bagged in large plastic garbage bags. Photo by Marie Cullis.

When I took this photo in my neighborhood, I was trying to figure out why people bag their leaves in plastic (multiple neighbors have bagged leaves right now). But then I discovered that the city’s website indicates that residents may bag up leaves and yard waste and request separate pick up from the regular garbage pick up. The website says you can also put them loose on your curb for Loose Leaf collection (where they use the giant vacuum truck). But what the website does not say is what happens to those leaves after they are picked up. I’m sure many don’t give it a second thought – out of sight, out of mind – so the homeowner probably believes they were doing the right thing.

I emailed the City of Chattanooga to find out what happens to the bagged leaves, but it took 4 email exchanges to obtain a thorough answer. It turns out that paper or plastic bagged leaves are picked up by the city’s waste contractor (WestRock) and taken to the landfill. Only the unbagged loose leaves that are left on the curb are picked up by the city and taken to the city’s wood composting facility. I don’t think many residents know this because if they did, I think people would change their practice or request the city change its protocol. There is a lack of clarity on the website and through their email service, and maybe people don’t think or have time to ask for additional information.

Unfortunately, I doubt we are the only city that handles leaves this way. So please, always check with your municipality before bagging your leaves!

Another neighbor takes his yard debris, including leaves, and puts them unbagged into his city garbage can. He may believe that they will decompose and not know that nothing decomposes in a standard landfill. So it is very important to refrain from this practice as well.

Yellow leaf on the ground — Photo by Marie Cullis.

Ways to Dispose of Leaves

If you must have your leaves removed, you’ll need to check with your local municipality about leaf collection and how they dispose of the leaves. Do they send them to a compost facility? Are they sent to the incinerator? Or are they landfilled? Try to find an option that allows the leaves to decompose, such as the option to put them on the curb and have them vacuumed up by city services. Keep asking questions if you don’t get a thorough response the first time.

The best option is to put leaves in your compost. Compost thrives from having a variety of materials, especially dead leaf matter mixed with food waste. So rake them and put them in your compost. And if you don’t have a compost bin, maybe this is a good time to start one!

If you have woods around your yard, you can easily find a place to dump your leaves. The home above, as you can see, has a wooded area adjacent to their land where they could’ve dumped these leaves and let nature take its course. You will want to avoid dumping them in ditches or waterways to prevent flooding.

Yard with leaves — Photo by Marie Cullis.

A third option is to save them to use as a mulch cover. If your mower has a bagged mulch option, you could use the mulch in the spring for your garden.

Last, some like to burn leaves. Besides the obvious safety and fire hazards, it turns out that the practice can have health hazards too. According to Purdue University, the smoke from burning leaves contains tiny particles and gases that can accumulate in the lungs over time. Additionally, the smoke from moist leaves gives off hydrocarbons, an irritant to the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs and are sometimes carcinogenic.¹

Raked leaves in yard with bench — Image by utroja0 from Pixabay.

Avoid Leaf Blowers

I do not like leaf blowers because they blow all the leaf dander and mold and mildew spores into the air. Since I am allergic to all of those, it really irritates my sinuses. In fact, at work in the Fall, maintenance blows leaves every morning and I have to walk through the dust and blown air. Needless to say, I start feeling bad during the workday likely because of that.

I thought it was just me who had these issues. But then I read that leaf blowers can cause legitimate problems. Leaf blowers, made to replace raking or sweeping, add “more pollution to the air than a car or truck. The gas emitted is harmful to human health and to the person operating the blower. Along with the noise pollution and CO2 emissions, leaf blowers also lift hazardous substances (dirt, mold, pollen, pesticides) into the air we breathe.”² Further, an organization called leaveleavesalone.org calls leaf blowing “a wasteful and outdated practice.”³

Enjoy Fall!

If you can, leave the leaves! The Xerces Society, the National Wildlife Federation, and even the U.S. Department of Agriculture say to leave the leaves.⁴

Regardless of how you deal with your leaves, enjoy fall! It’s a beautiful season that’s the beginning of a renewal. It features a few of the most fun holidays, the weather is cooler for outdoor activities, and it’s gorgeous. Maybe don’t clear the leaves and just enjoy the season? Thanks for reading, and please share and subscribe!

“Aprils have never meant much to me, autumns seem that season of beginning, spring.”– Truman Capote

Footnote:

Tag: autumn leaves

Have a Spooky Halloween and Fall with Limited Waste