Preston council advises on preventing Halloween waste

The council warned that an estimated seven million Halloween costumes are thrown away every year – equating to 83 million plastic bottles.  

Additionally, 15.8 million pumpkins are thrown in the bin rather than being eaten.  

Advice for cutting down on Halloween waste

The council has encouraged residents to opt for treats which come unwrapped or do not include excess packaging.  

In particular, the council advised avoiding sweets that are wrapped in plastic and suggested instead opting for sweets that come in paper or foil (which are easier to recycle in Preston).  

If residents already have plastic-wrapped sweets, the council asked that the wrappers are taken to supermarkets to be put in flexible plastic collection containers.  

Another suggestion was to bake cookies to be given to trick-or-treaters in paper bags.  

Secondly, Preston has advocated for the use of mini “munchkin” pumpkins over the larger alternatives which produce more waste.  

The council is supporting Hubbub’s yearly campaign #EatYourPumpkin to encourage residents to eat their pumpkins after Halloween. It has advised decorated pumpkins rather than carving them to ensure they stay fresh.  

The council also suggested using pumpkin remains in meals such as soup after Halloween has come to an end.  

Finally, the council has given three tips for avoiding unnecessary costume waste:  

1. Reuse old wardrobe items rather than buying new costumes 

1. Organise costume swaps with friends, family or members of the local community 

1. Buy costumes second hand through charity shops (and donate old costumes at the same time)