How to Have a Low-Waste Halloween With Kids
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A low-waste Halloween starts with the costume. Make one from clothes you already have, borrow or swap one, or choose something they'll keep wearing after 31 October. Then add homemade decorations, a bit of Halloween baking and a pumpkin you actually eat. It's every bit as fun, and there's very little to throw away on 1 November.
Halloween costumes are among the most thrown-away clothes children own. Research by the charities Hubbub and the Fairyland Trust looked at 324 Halloween clothing lines from 19 UK retailers. They found that 83% of the material was oil-based plastic, and four in ten costumes were worn only once (reported by The Ecologist).
None of this means a duller Halloween. Often the homemade version is the one they remember.
The costume: start with what you've got
This is where most Halloween waste comes from, and where you can make the biggest difference.
Raid the wardrobe first. Most classic costumes are simpler than they look:
- Black cat: a black top, black leggings, felt ears on a headband and a drawn-on nose.
- Witch or wizard: something long and dark, a cape made from an old sheet, and a card hat.
- Pirate: a striped top, rolled-up trousers, a scarf as a bandana and a card eye patch.
- Pumpkin: anything orange, with a green felt stalk on a headband.
- Bee: a stripy top, card wings and a pipe-cleaner headband.
- Skeleton: a black top with bones cut from white felt or fabric scraps.
Make the extras together. Masks, crowns, wings and ears made from card, felt and paper are half the fun. Children are usually prouder of a mask they've coloured themselves than anything from a packet.
Borrow or swap. Children love wearing a friend's costume, and a costume swap with friends or at school means nothing new needs making.
Go second-hand. Charity shops and local selling groups are full of costumes that were only worn once.
If you do buy, buy something they'll wear again. A striped top that's a bee tonight and a T-shirt tomorrow, dragon pyjamas they'll wear to bed all winter, or a black cat top they'll wear on ordinary days too. There are a few like this in our Halloween edit, made to last long after the night.
Homemade Halloween decorations
You don't need anything plastic to make the house feel spooky:
- Paper bats and ghosts cut from card or old paper, stuck to windows or strung into bunting.
- Nature's decorations: autumn leaves, conkers, pine cones and twigs on a windowsill or table.
- Jam jar lanterns: clean jars with tissue paper or a drawn-on face and a battery tea light.
- Leaf garlands: threaded autumn leaves look beautiful and go straight in the compost afterwards.
Flat paper decorations can be saved and brought out again next year.
Halloween baking and treats
Baking together is one of the easiest ways to make Halloween feel special without buying anything to throw away:
- Pumpkin muffins or pumpkin bread, made with the flesh you scooped out.
- Spooky biscuits: cut ghosts, bats and pumpkins from a simple biscuit dough.
- Monster faces: decorate rice cakes, crumpets or toast with fruit.
If you're giving out treats, fewer, nicer ones with less packaging go further than handfuls of individually wrapped sweets.
Pumpkins: carve them, then eat them
- Scoop the flesh out for soup, muffins or a pie before you carve.
- Roast the seeds with a little oil and salt for a snack.
- Compost what's left, or put it in your food waste bin.
Low-waste Halloween activities
- An autumn nature hunt for leaves, conkers and "spooky" sticks.
- A torch-lit story night with homemade lanterns.
- A Halloween treasure hunt around the house or garden, with clues instead of plastic prizes.
- Trick-or-treat with what you've got: a pillowcase, tote bag or basket works just as well as a plastic bucket.
FAQs
How can I have a more sustainable Halloween with kids?
Make or borrow a costume, or choose one they'll wear again. Make decorations from paper and natural things, bake together, and eat or compost your pumpkin.
What's an easy DIY Halloween costume for kids?
A black cat is one of the easiest: a black top and leggings, felt ears on a headband and a drawn-on nose.
What can I use instead of a plastic trick-or-treat bucket?
A pillowcase, a tote bag, a basket or a paper bag they've decorated themselves.
Are Halloween costumes bad for the environment?
Many are. Research by Hubbub and the Fairyland Trust found that 83% of the material in the Halloween costumes they studied was oil-based plastic, and four in ten costumes were worn only once.
What can I do with a pumpkin after Halloween?
Cook the flesh, roast the seeds, and compost the rest or put it in your food waste bin.
Written by Jagroop Sahi, founder of KIDDYKIND, the UK marketplace for organic, natural and sustainable baby and children's brands, and Retailer of the Year 2026 at The Organic & Sustainable Baby Awards.
