Happy Zero-Waste Halloween!

Autumn is in full swing, and with it comes the favorite holiday of kids (and let’s be honest, adults too): Halloween!

Despite all the excitement, it’s hard to ignore that Halloween can generate a lot of waste—decorations, costumes, candy wrappers... So how can we reduce its environmental impact? Here are a few simple tips:

Use the Whole Pumpkin

We love beautifully carved pumpkins glowing on porches during trick-or-treating, but pumpkins are vegetables that required time, resources, and energy to grow. Here’s what you can do:

• Carve the pumpkin: Since carved pumpkins are exposed to the elements and temperature changes for several days, it’s not recommended to eat them afterward. So if you really want to carve it, try to scoop out as much flesh as possible without compromising its structure.
• Decorate the outside: To keep the pumpkin flesh edible, you can paint directly on the pumpkin or stick images to it instead of carving.

Pumpkin flesh can be pureed and frozen in portions (e.g., one-cup servings wrapped in parchment paper or in ice cube trays). This puree is super versatile and can be used in both sweet and savory recipes, like this pumpkin hummus:

After washing, pumpkin seeds can be roasted with sweet or savory spices. You can also use them in snack recipes like this delicious homemade granola:

Feeling adventurous? You can even make plant-based milk from them!

Give Candy a Second Life

By late November, kids have lost interest in their Halloween candy, and it ends up forgotten in the cupboard... Throw it away? No way!
You can use chocolate to decorate cakes, melt it for fondue, or add it to milkshakes, brownies, or these tasty banana Kit-Kat muffins:

Hard candies can be crushed and used as powder to decorate cupcakes, ice cream, or homemade granola bars. As for the rest—share them! Your coworkers will surely enjoy a sweet treat with their coffee.

Psst... Chocolates freeze really well if you want to take your time enjoying them!

Craft with Candy Wrappers

The downside of Halloween candy is the excessive packaging. That’s a lot of tiny wrappers ending up in the trash... What if we gave them a second life?
You can turn them into shiny mosaics, decorate cards or gift wrap, or even make garlands for parties or jewelry! There are so many creative ways to reuse those bits of plastic and cardboard.

A Food Fight article presented by Jour de la Terre