Halloween is almost here! Race to Zero Waste board member Laura McKaughan pulled together some fun and easy tips to help you celebrate the holiday without the ghoulish trail of plastic costumes and single-use garbage!

Low-waste costumes for Halloween: Medusa wears a thrifted dress and belt. The Stone Man wears a thrifted sheet and scarf over clothes he already had at home, covered with some baking flour.

Get Creative This Halloween — Without Buying a New Costume!

Before buying something new, shop in your own closet! Some of the best Halloween costumes can be made using items you already have at home.  Use your own clothes, makeup, old buttons, or grab branches, leaves or flowers from your yard to become a cool woodland creature!

Other ideas for low waste costumes are swapping costumes with friends or family, shopping at a thrift store, checking your local Buy Nothing groups, reusing costumes from previous years, or donating your costume afterward so someone else can enjoy it!

Decorate with Quality! 

As Halloween approaches, stores overflow with wasteful plastic decorations, costumes, and party supplies. If we're not careful, these tend to get damaged during the festivities and tossed aside afterward.

It’s a bit more work, but you can make your Halloween celebration more sustainable with durable items that can be used year after year! Opt for high-quality, durable items and store them carefully to be brought out year after year instead of buying new decorations each season. 

Another great option is to shop secondhand! Check out thrift stores, garage sales, neighborhood groups, or ask friends and family if they have decorations they no longer use. Giving pre-loved decorations to a new home is a fun way to keep them out of the landfill and give your Halloween a unique look.

Get Crafty This Season

Channel your inner DIY enthusiast! Some of the best Halloween decorations can be made with items you already have around the house or materials from nature. Here are a few of our favorite sustainable decorating ideas:

1. Light Up the Night
Embrace the spooky ambiance of candles! Choose reusable candles in classic Halloween colors like black, orange, red, green, or white. When lit (in a safe spot, of course), they’ll cast a spooky, moody glow while saving you a coin on your electric bill.

2. Ghostly Milk Jug Lanterns
Save those empty plastic milk jugs! Give them a good cleaning and turn them into eerie ghost lanterns using markers and LED tea lights. Draw spooky faces on the jugs, add your own creative touches, and line them up along a walkway or porch. When Halloween is over, store them for next year—or repurpose the materials appropriately.

3. Nature’s Leaf Garland
When it comes to garlands, why not go natural? Head outside and collect fallen leaves in shades of brown, red, yellow, and orange. String them together or arrange them around your home for a beautiful autumn-inspired decoration. It’s a fun fall activity, and when the season is over, natural materials can return to the outdoors.

4. Make a Spooky Wreath
Create a reusable Halloween wreath from materials you already have. Try cardboard, fabric scraps, twigs, dried leaves, old ribbon, or other craft supplies. Add removable decorations like paper bats, ghosts, or spiders so you can change the look from year to year without making a whole new wreath.

5. Reuse, Repurpose, & Upcycle
Before buying something new, take a look around your house. Old sheets can become spooky ghosts, cardboard boxes can become tombstones, glass jars can become creepy candle holders, and leftover fabric can transform into banners or table decorations. 

Spook-tober is also Zero Waste Month! 

Put Halloween and zero waste principles together to kick off the holiday season in an eco frame of mind. Remember it's the experiences of being together that matter more than the stuff! 

AI Transparency Statement: pending from Laura McKaughan. No AI was used in editing or publishing - Hayden Sloan, 12 Oct 2026.