Somerset Council is asking everyone to reduce waste this Halloween and stay-single use free during fright-night.

The beginning of October saw a ban on the sale of many single-use plastic items come into force, including plastic cups, plates and other items associated with parties like balloon sticks.

Halloween can be a scary enough day without considering the horrific levels of waste thrown in. The council is asking if we could go beyond single-use plastic free and reduce waste even further?

It is not just outfits and party essentials that contribute to waste during the Halloween period. The big shocker is that an estimated 20% rise in food waste is seen during the two weeks following Halloween (compared to the previous month).

There is a better way to have an eerie-sistible time without buying off-shelf and scaring our environment. With the half-term school holiday before the big day, it’s a great opportunity to get creative.

Take some simple steps to cut costs, reduce waste and avoid plastic by adding creativity, some top tips include:

• Use old sheets, clothes or cardboard to make scary outfits. Then recycle or reuse next year.
• Head to the charity shop or find a costume hire company, borrow from friends or relatives, or swap costumes with children’s classmates.
• Use up the whole pumpkin, everything but the stalk can be eaten.
• Reuse decorations from previous years or make them. Old tights with ladders make great spider-webbing.
• Use and decorate household containers to collect treats in. Decorate inexpensively at home and reuse year after year.

Councillor Dixie Darch, Lead Member for Environment and Climate Change said:

There’s nothing scarier than a Halloween party full of single-use items and you can keep environmental nightmares at bay by making small changes when planning your outfit or party.

Think twice before you buy-new, and you can make a difference. There’s no reason that saying no to single use will spoil your fun, but it might just save you money and help to protect our environment too.

To find out more about how to reduce your waste at Halloween, including links to recipes and sustainable outfits ideas visit Somerset Council’s website: www.somerset.gov.uk/SeasonalWaste.