Goblins, Ghouls, and Ghosts: oh my! But how much material is wasted from these Halloween costumes?
Nowadays, more and more people are buying costumes (that come in plastic bags) that are only worn for one year. When I was in elementary school, I remember my mom made our costumes, and I often recycled them and wore my brothers costumes, and vice versa (this is why he was a pink dinosaur and I was a “Street Shark”). Our other costumes have all been homemade or were made of clothes found around the house (hello Daniel Boone or the Hobbit – use a blanket for a cape!)
However, as I mentioned, costumes come in plastic bags, which generates waste, and children often only wear their costume once, leading to more waste. Ecouterre estimates that because people decorate their yards and buy costumes for their children and pets, 8 billion dollars is spent on Halloween in the US every year, and 85% of the waste ends up in landfills. Check out this infographic for more information:
So, this Halloween, please make an effort to reduce your textile waste by reusing and recycling costumes. Hey, there is nothing wrong with being a cat again, especially if you have the ears already.
Abbey Dufoe 