I don’t know about you but even when I was growing up in the 60’s in a beach side suburb of Melbourne once we heard about the popular American event Halloween we pestered our parents until we could participate. We had no thought back then that there was any need for Halloween to go green because it was already pretty sustainable. It was so much fun running around the streets at night in strange costumes hassling the neighbours (who in those days didn’t know what was going on) for lollies and anything sweet. My costume back then was made by my mother from I think an old footy jumper of my dad’s with holes cut out and decorations were real hollowed out pumpkins.
That was then this is now. Not having young kids of my own I was unaware last year that I would have a steady line of children on my doorstep looking very scary with bags held out to add to their booty. The $2 junk shops seem to be the preferred outlet for the required regalia and the sustainability of these products have a very limited time stamp.
So these cheaply made easily broken materials end up in landfill and according to the Total Environment Centre we are filling our tips at an unsustainable rate. “Each year Australians generate 38 million tonnes of waste. More than half of this waste is disposed of to landfill (22 million tonnes) -in the order of 1000 kg of waste to landfill per person. Such linear resource flows are unsustainable in the long term and generate undesirable environmental, social and economic impacts.”
In the United States they are combating this wasteful celebration of Halloween by promoting Green Halloween and partnering with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
So can I suggest if your kids love the thrill of this event maybe look at purchasing or making the paraphernalia that goes with it to last and not end up in landfill the next day.
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