October 29, 2019

Halloween Reuse, Recycle or Refuse

Halloween brings out the ghosts and goblins, the pumpkins, the tricks and treats. My kids never got the store bought costumes. I made them every year. Quite a feat considering I do not sew. I just used scrap material, felt, paint and a hot glue gun and I called it good. Not to brag, but there were some excellent results. Cat in the Hat, Sam I Am, Swamp Monster, Mummy, Robin Hood and my favorite … the Milk Carton. The neighborhood was all abuzz waiting for the giant milk carton to show up on their doorstep!

Every costume was saved and stored for the following year. We may have used bits and pieces of one to make a new one but I still have that giant tote in the basement. I still have an itty bitty mummy costume.

I love to decorate. I have had the same decorations for 20+ years. I have a plastic skeleton (life size) named Bob. Bob has seen better days. He is mostly held together with string and he’s missing a foot. But he still sits on the chair on the porch and smiles at passersby. I have one rubber bat called Billy. I hang him above Bob. I have a giant rat who has seen better days named Templeton. Yes. I name everything.

A lot of Halloween is not recyclable but it is reusable.

Lights in various colors of orange, yellow, green and purple, shaped like skeletons or candy corn, can not be recycled in your curbside recycling bin but may be able to be taken back to wherever holiday lights are accepted.

Inflatables are made of durable nylon to survive inclement weather and cannot be recycled curbside but the electronic components are accepted at your local household hazardous waste/electronic recycling days. Check with your municipality for dates!

Candy wrappers are not recyclable. Place them in the trash.

Masks and makeup are not recyclable but can be donated or saved for reuse in the years to come.

My favorite part of Halloween … pumpkins! We love to carve them and we place them on the porch and the trick or treaters get to vote on the best one. I’ve never won. I’m pretty sure the contest is rigged. However, we do roast the seeds of the pumpkin and after Halloween we donate the pumpkins to a local sheep farm, Ugly Dog Farms in Davison. Turns out sheep love pumpkins so we literally waste none of the pumpkin!

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

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