I know “green” isn’t exactly the color that you think about when you picture Halloween, but here are a few ideas of how you can be a bit more mindful of the waste and help reuse more items each year.

Instead of letting your kids take plastic bags Trick-Or-Treating, get
them each their own reusable tote. You can even get one and
decorate it for Halloween to use every year! An old pillow case is
great for Trick-Or-Treating.

Reuse and recycle costumes with your friends. Instead of going out
and buying a new costume, save money and resources by getting
creative. Find out what the kids want to be and ask around to see if
anyone you know has it. Don’t forget to look in your closet for some
help!

Host a Halloween party! Didn’t think that would be too “Green”, did ya?
This way, you can provide all of the treats to the kids in your home.
That means that there will be less individually wrapped candy bars
and you can actually monitor what kind of treats everyone is getting.
You can also use items made from recycled materials and try to serve
as much local/organic food as possible.

• Don’t be one of those parents that follow their kids around in a car as they are Trick- or-Treating. If you are worried about their safety, get out and walk with them.

  Use nature for your decorations. You don’t need to buy plastic and cardboard decorations: Use leaves, branches, pumpkins, hay bales (which can then be used on your garden for the winter) to give your house a pretty fall look. If you do buy plastic Halloween decorations always remember to save them for next year instead of buying new.

These are just a few ideas of how to keep this fun holiday less wasteful and damaging to the earth. Help by telling your neighbors these tips to make this years Halloween a much more green one!