As Halloween rapidly approaches, we thought we would give you a few ideas to green it up. This is a different list than the others you’ve read because we are giving you a practical action step to take post-Halloween hangover party.

Fun Fact: The average family of four spends around $330 for Halloween between costumes, decorations, candy and other spooky one time use tidbits. Sadly, the bulk of this ends up in the landfill for hundreds of thousands of years.

Good news: Every problem has a solution (read #1!)

Here is how you can green your orange:

1. Call us to avoid the landfill! – RecycleMe Iowa is offering to pick up your used Halloween decorations, pumpkins and costumes (for free!) in order to dispose of them properly or find reuse opportunities for next year. Call us at 515-650-1664 or email [email protected] to schedule a pick up or find where to drop off.

2. Pass on plastic – Most plastic used for Halloween costumes and candy collecting buckets contain harmful petrochemicals and toxins. Plus, they go straight to the landfill when you are done with them. We recommend using free or cheap alternatives to collect candy such as pillowcases, reusable grocery bags or these awesome Freak-O-Bags if you go above and beyond for Halloween.

3. DIY (or rent) costumes – Avoid the nasty toxins found in the plastic by creating your own costume out of household goods, trash (yup, we said trash), thrift store finds or check out costume swaps (DSM has one tomorrow!). You can also rent a costume from your local theater. If you live in Des Moines, there are great shops in Valley Junction that you can rent from.

4. Mind the face – When purchasing face paint to add that extra spooky feature to your costume, check with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics to make sure your beautiful face is not tarnished with unsafe makeup or paint. For those of you DIYers, check out how to make face paint with food ingredients.

5. Organic Goodies – When purchasing treats to hand out to trick-or-treaters in your neighborhood, skip the typical treats and go organic with YummyEarth which can be found just about anywhere. If you need to buy in bulk, check out Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or just make your own.

6. Compost or Reuse your pumpkins – Instead of throwing your jack-o-lantern in the trash, compost your carving masterpieces. If you painted your pumpkin, wash off the paint and reuse your pumpkin. For more pumpkin uses and recipes check out these sites:
– 10 Uses for your Pumpkin
– How to Compost Your Pumpkin
– Call us! We’ll be your Pumpkin recycling station

We wish you the absolute best Halloween ever as you green your orange. Remember, we are always here to be your recycling/composting/zero-waste superhero’s and help you Enjoy More and Waste Less. Happy Greening!