One Night, One Landfill

As Halloween rolls around, young adults all around scatter for purchasing last minute costumes and essentials for their perfect night(s) out for the weekend. So, you cram and end up ordering off fast fashion websites like Shein because you don’t want to spend too much money for something you will only wear once, right? You purchase your costume but wait- what about your accessories? Shoes? Wigs? Cheap jewelry? Then you fall victim yet again and place another order so your costume can be the best one yet and top last year’s costume. You got your costume now and everything is all ready. The day after Halloween comes, and all the materials and accessories you were so excited for are now discarded. You may start feeling regretful, and you think to yourself; have you ever once thought about how many costumes and materials get thrown out afterwards?

Halloween or Hallowee-kend I should say, is the holiday most people like myself look forward to every year. One night to look your best whether that be scary, or as it seems now sexy costumes. Most active participants in celebrating this grand holiday are college students who wait all year long to go on “benders” for the weekend with a variety of costumes to select from per day. Although it seems like a good time to live crazy nights with your friends, there is so much more to it.

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) concluded that around 17 million tons of textile were wasted in 2018, with 11.3 million sent to the landfill. These numbers are extremely shocking and show that a large portion of items purchased for Halloween are destined to end up in landfills after their use for one night.

It seems as though environmental and ethical factors are unconsidered when the majority of halloween participants conceive in aimless purchasing for costumes that only last a few hours. Think about all the minor pieces you have bought just because you want to mirror a costume to its fullest potential. But to what cost? It is more than just a costume; decorations, pumpkin carving tools, candy wrappers, and so much more. Halloween itself is one of the top holidays that creates reason to purchase and then throw all spooky related items.

As Halloween grows more commercialized, so does its impact on the planet. Encouraging sustainable choices like DIY costumes, reusable decor, and composting can help make future celebrations less negative for the environment.