Halloween, a holiday filled with terror and lots of candy, has its own spooky agenda: waste.

Discarded costumes, decorations and mountains of candy wrappers make this holiday disastrous for the environment. As climate change becomes more pressing, we must make conscious decisions about our waste.

Halloween spending reached an all-time record $12.2 billion last year and it’s expected to reach $11.6 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.

A study by Hubbub found that seven million Halloween costumes are thrown away each year, equating to 2,000 tons of plastic. Many of these costumes are worn once and made from non-biodegradable materials like polyester and nylon, which can take anywhere from 20 to 200 years to decompose. As these materials break down, they release toxic chemicals, contributing to soil and water pollution.

Beyond costumes, plastic decorations and candy wrappers are also concerning. The U.S. produces nearly 600 million pounds of candy each Halloween, much of which is packaged in single-use plastics.

“A single trick-or-treater generates one pound (half a kilo) of trash at Halloween,” said Lisa Morton, an author who specializes in researching and writing content around Halloween.

Pumpkins, while biodegradable, also contribute to waste. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that Americans purchase 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins each year for Halloween. Over 80% of pumpkins are discarded after the holiday, with the majority ending up in landfills, producing methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

According to NOAA Climate.gov, 2023 was the warmest year since global records began in 1850 by a wide margin. Our environment is facing severe consequences, and it’s time we reconsider our actions.

Here are a few ways to make your Halloween celebration more sustainable:

1. Costume choices: Rethink your costume choices! Instead of purchasing new, cheaply made costumes, consider reusing old ones, swapping with friends or getting creative with thrifted or DIY outfits.
2. Decorations: Reuse what you have! Instead of plastic pumpkins or fake spider webs, consider decorations made from natural or reusable materials. Dried flowers, for example, are biodegradable and can add a festive touch! If you already have plastic decorations, reuse them each year instead of throwing them away.
3. Candy: While candy is a Halloween staple, its packaging does not have to be an environmental disaster. Choose candy with minimal or recyclable packaging. If you can’t eat all the candy, freeze it, donate it, or save it for another occasion.
4. Pumpkin waste: Instead of throwing pumpkins in the trash, compost them. Pumpkins break down quickly and can enrich your soil, or you can donate them to local farms as animal feed. You can also use the flesh of your pumpkin to make cake or pie. Be creative!

Halloween is all about creativity, so get inventive with your practices and help protect the environment!