A Sustainable Halloween is a Spooktacular choice. It’s a Trick.

So it begins. America gears up for the ghoul and the ghosts with a purse of over 12 Billion dollars. As the equator of sanity diminishes and the underworld merges with our own, statistics show that the real horror of Halloween is in the aftermath of devilish waste disposal.  Ready to get spooked as Pumpkins worth the weight of 3000 full grown elephants and candy wrappers that can easily fill over a 1000 Olympic sized pools, will end up in landfill. Every Halloween, the quintessential carved pumpkins AKA Jack-o-Lanterns; once the life of the spooky party, will march like an army of zombies into the graveyard of landfills for their date with the trash grim reaper. But this year, we can undo this horror.

Almost like a sequel to a horror movie, an estimated 18,000 tons of them will end up eerily in a landfill. These pumpkins might have spooked you on the porch, but once they’re in the landfill, they’re more like a comedy – a tragedy, really – in the making. And it’s not just the pumpkins; there’s an entire Halloween supply chain lurking in the shadows, piling up waste. 

The numbers are scary enough to make the undead turn in their graves. Now, we know what you’re thinking. It’s just one day, one holiday, what’s the big deal? Well, multiply that by the millions, and you know that the ghost is real. 

Halloween is big business.

Americans are expected to spend around $12 billion on this holiday. Now, you might wonder where all that money goes. Well, you’re looking at $4.1 billion spent on costumes, $3.9 billion on decorations, $3.6 billion on candy, and another $500 million on greeting cards. And, sure, that’s a lot of spooky decorations and sweet treats. But it’s also a mountain of waste that ends up buried somewhere in the shadows of our consumer-driven culture.

It’s a frightening amount of waste. 

The Halloween costumes for example. Did you know that 83% of the materials in the clothing items associated with Halloween costumes are oil-based plastics. And what happens to these outfits after the Halloween hootenanny? Most of them end up being tossed in the trash. It’s like a horror story in itself. The single use costumes go on to haunt the environment. 

The scariest thing this Halloween is our unsustainable habits. 

Halloween-specific items, like costumes and decorations, experience a surge in demand before the big night but are often discarded shortly after. It’s a temporal frenzy that can lead to considerable waste. A 2019 survey by the Fairyland Trust and Hubbub revealed that UK Halloween celebrations alone generate over 2,000 tons of plastic waste from clothing and costumes.

But what if we could transform this tradition into something more sustainable? What if costumes were designed for more than a single night of revelry and then being thrown into the abyss? What if, we just compost the pumpkins (minus the seeds of course) 

That’s the power of embracing the circular economy.

Eco-Friendly Halloween and the Circular Economy

In the circular economy, products are designed with recycling and sustainability in mind. In Halloween terms, this could mean costumes created from recycled materials that can be reused or passed on. This Halloween, let’s see ourselves as recycling champions, choosing costumes that can haunt us for years, not just one night.

What the American public needs to do this Halloween.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Make this your Halloween mantra. Reuse last year’s costumes or even swap with friends and family. Embrace DIY decorations instead of buying new ones. And when the night is over, recycle what you can.

Compost THY Pumpkins

If you carve a pumpkin, don’t just toss it into the trash. Compost it, and it will return to the earth in a more eco-friendly way. Ensure to deseed it before composting unless you want your own little pumpkin patch for the next year.

Go Green with Treats

Opt for Halloween treats that are packaged in recyclable materials or that have minimal packaging. And if you’re handing out candies, consider bulk candy options with less packaging.

Energy-Efficient Decorations

If you’re decking out your home with spooky decorations, switch to LED lights. They’re energy-efficient and have a longer lifespan, ensuring they can light up many Halloweens to come.

Educate and Advocate

Finally, help spread awareness about sustainable Halloween practices. The more people know about these issues, the more they can take conscious steps. Advocate for eco-friendly Halloween choices in your community and encourage others to do the same.

But the real enchantment happens when the supply chain joins the party. Industry giants have their role to play. Sustainable packaging options can replace the heaps of plastic wrappers we often see. Costumes can be produced from recycled or recyclable materials, helping to mitigate the costume waste crisis. With technology, like predictive analytics and AI, industries can manage inventory more efficiently, reducing waste. And collaboration throughout the supply chain can be a spell of utmost power, as information shared is waste spared.

Svante Gothe, Head of Sustainability at supply chain and retail planning platform provider RELEX, highlights the importance of AI in waste reduction: “Retailers must navigate a delicate balance of reducing their environmental impact while continuing to meet customer needs and expectations. At Halloween, fresh retailers are tasked with managing a supply chain full of pumpkins, which pose a high risk of spoiling. What doesn’t get sold might quickly end up in the waste bin.”

While AI can enhance prediction, the supply chain must remain flexible and agile to adapt to sudden and unforeseen changes. Recent years have taught us that unexpected events can have immediate and dramatic impacts on supply chains. AI may predict a lot, but supply chains must be prepared for the unpredictable.

This Halloween, as you enjoy the spooktacular festivities, remember that reducing waste in the supply chain can be a treat for the environment. By adopting sustainable practices, incorporating AI into demand forecasting, and maintaining adaptability, we can ensure that Halloween remains a time for celebration without the chilling consequences of excessive waste.

The key is to approach the holiday season with a sense of responsibility for our planet. By doing so, we can exorcize the ghost of waste from our supply chains and enjoy a greener, more sustainable Halloween for years to come.