Tony Esposito NewsChannel 36 Production

Halloween is fast approaching and I thought I would take a look at ways to be green at Halloween.

When I was young all the kids would spend a great deal of time deciding what they were going to be for Halloween. Then the whole family would get involved in creating the perfect costume. Old shirts, pants, hats, and items from the kitchen would be used to transform a normal child into the scary character he had thought up.

Back then, almost all the costumes were created from scratch. Then as families became busier, they didn't have the time to create their own costumes. They went to the store and bought them.
Halloween has become big business. Even though spending is expected to be down by 20%, customers are still expected to spend $60 for their Halloween items.

Retailers will haul in around $4.75 billion for the holiday. That is a lot of candy, costumes, and decoration, and all this creates a lot of waste. Here are some tips I have found to have a greener Halloween.

Go back to the early days and make your own costume. Use your imagination to come up with a one of a kind creation. It's not hard and it is fun to do.

If you have been making your costumes for a while, have a neighborhood costume swap. Reusing old costumes brings new life to them when someone else is using them.

When you really have to buy an item for you costume go to a thrift shop and make your purchase there. All thrift shops have a wonderful supply of cloths and accessories that can be had for a low price. Don't overlook other stores for supplies such as hardware store and fabric shops.

When the kids go out to collect the goodies use pillowcases or canvas shopping bags. Decorate them and you have a wonderful way to carry home the treats. An added benefit of using these bags is they will hold more treats that the store bought bags.

Speaking of treats. When giving out treats try to give out something better than the candies usually associated with Halloween. Fruits are a good way to eliminate the sugar treats. If you must give out candy, try to use a fair trade chocolate or the new organic lollipops. Another great idea is to skip sweets altogether and hand out useful items like school supplies or bookmarks.

Above all, have a fun and safe Halloween. By using these suggestions you will cut down on waste you generate while having fun creating your costume with the family.

---