As summer’s vibrant colours fade into the warm and earthy tones of autumn, we find ourselves on the threshold of one of the most eagerly awaited seasons of the year: Autumn. With its crisp air, pumpkin spiced everything, and the promise of cosy nights by the fire, no matter how much you think you’re a Summer lover, we’re all bound to fall in love with this season repeatedly. The biggest day of Autumn? Halloween!
This festival has grown over the years to become a real cultural phenomenon adored by people worldwide. I’m sure you’ve already seen this holiday decoration everywhere, from shops to lawns (and maybe you’ve even decorated your own home!).
THE ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN
Halloween is a spooky holiday with a fascinating backstory. Its roots can be traced back over two thousand years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The festival, which was held on November 1st, marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. On the night before Samhain (October 31st), it was believed that the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest, allowing spirits to roam free on Earth.
As Christianity spread, Samhain merged with All Saints’ Day (November 1st) and All Souls’ Day (November 2nd), giving birth to the Halloween traditions we know and love today. What was once a solemn remembrance of the departed has evolved into a lively celebration filled with costumes, parties, and sweet treats.
THE IMPACT OF HALLOWEEN
As much as I adore this holiday, unfortunately, like any other decoration-based festivity, brings in a lot of negatives for the environment. The modern traditions of disposable costumes, single-use decorations, and candy wrappers result in a significant amount of waste. Even faux-spider webs can harm wildlife, especially birds during migration season, as it’s been recorded that owls have been trapped in these more than a couple of times.
Halloween Costumes
Around 80% of Halloween costumes are made of cheap, non-biodegradable synthetic materials like polyester, feathers, fake hair, and plastic parts. Due to their mixed materials, these costumes are difficult to recycle and often end up in landfills. In fact, 7 million costumes are thrown out each year in the UK alone according to the Hubbub study.
The US has a population 5 times bigger than the UK, so estimates for how many Halloween costumes are thrown away in the US are around 35 million. That’s a lot of synthetics in our landfills in just one day.
Furthermore, many of these costumes are manufactured in China, where child labour and child trafficking is a still growing concern.
Furthermore, many of these costumes are manufactured in China, where child labour and child trafficking is a still growing concern. Although the minimum employment age in China is 16, it is estimated that around 7.7% of children aged 10-15 are working illegally.
Halloween make-up
It’s not just about the costumes, but the make-up as well. Mica is a popular material used in many cosmetics, but the ingredient is often sourced from unregulated mines in India, where child labour is rampant. These children work long hours for a wage that perpetuates poverty, and the mines themselves are incredibly dangerous. Chances are that the mica in your makeup was mined by a child’s hand.
It’s important to consider the ethical ramifications of these practices when applying makeup, especially during Halloween. It’s time to ask ourselves if our makeup is designed, tested, and manufactured in an environment that values animal welfare and human rights.
Halloween sweets
Halloween generates a lot of waste, particularly candy wrappers that are made of non-recyclable materials like plastic and aluminium. Unfortunately, even when you separate these wrappers for recycling, they often end up in landfills or in our waterways.
Just think that a single trick-or-treater produces about half a kilo of waste from sweet wrappers alone. That’s a frightening amount when you consider how many children are out trick or treating across the globe.
Furthermore, chocolate and sweets production can also have detrimental effects on human rights. For example, cacao beans from West Africa are often produced under poor working conditions and low wages, while child labour and trafficking are prevalent issues in India and China, where chocolate is produced and/or wrapped.
Halloween Pumpkins
With pumpkin carving comes food waste, which is a significant issue that often goes unnoticed. Millions of pumpkins are purchased each year for carving, yet a staggering percentage of them end up rotting in landfills, releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas. This gas is over 25 times more harmful to the Earth’s atmosphere than carbon dioxide. In fact, in the U.S. alone, over a billion pounds of pumpkins end up in landfills every year, while the UK is responsible for about 18,000 tonnes of discarded pumpkins every year.
This wasteful practice exacerbates the climate crisis and squanders precious resources used to grow these pumpkins.
Instead, the organic matter in these discarded pumpkins could be composted to enrich the soil or used for animal feed, adding further value to this versatile fruit. Plus, did you know that 40% of UK consumers buy pumpkins to carve for Halloween, but 60% say that they don’t use the pumpkin to make any food and instead just throw it into the general waste bin after they’ve finished carving? That’s extra food waste, for no reason.
