Did you know that in the UK we throw away 18,000 tonnes of pumpkins a year?
Halloween is fast approaching; if you’re like us and want to get a little thrifty, there are plenty of ways to create a great costume or spooky decorations by recycling and reusing old items!
Here are some of our top tips for staying green this Halloween…
Trick or treatbags – whether it’s for the trick-or-treaters who knock your door or if you’re hosting a party, with the 5p plastic bag tax now coming into play it only makes sense to collect your old bags for future re-usage. So, decorate them for storing your sweets and chocolate, or better yet use paper bags, empty milk bottles or even a pillow case.
Decorations – Use recycled material where possible and instead of throwing out your scrap paper and cardboard, use them to create some papers chains or lanterns. However, make sure you are disposing of these correctly when you’re done and don’t use confidential documents!
Party waste – Try to cut down on your waste by staying clear of plastic cups and cutlery. But if it’s unavoidable, did you know you can now get a biodegradable and compostable energy.
Food Waste – From a spicy American classic of pumpkin pie to a hearty, winter-warming soup there are multiple recipes to use up your post-Halloween pumpkin leftovers. Not only are pumpkins nutritionally beneficial for our diet (high in fibre, as well as rich sources of vitamin A and B, potassium, protein and iron) they can also aid us environmentally. For those of you whom these recipes don’t tickle your taste buds, your pumpkins needn’t be destined for landfill as they provide rich ingredients to make nutritious compost. Alternatively, leftover and unused food is not waste but a valuable source of material for renewable energy i.e. electricity and heat. Food waste recycling is a key step to going zero-to-landfill.
Tweet us a picture @Printwaste of your green Halloween concoctions; we’d love to take a look! If you need any more information about recycling or confidential shredding, feel free to give us a call on 01242 588 600.
