If you’ve ever wandered the aisles of your local box store around October, chances are you’ve visited the huge Halloween section of the store. Whether it’s the bizarre, sharp mesh on dresses or the startling motion-activated decor, it’s clear that Halloween costumes can create excess waste if not thoughtfully purchased.
Arguably, clothing is the focus of a Halloween costume. Thankfully, thrift and consignment stores have hundreds of hidden gems to make a costume truly unique. If you don’t want a portion of your closet eaten up by an item you wear once a year, these stores are great for creating costumes that you can disassemble throughout the year.
Halloween is also a great time to experiment with makeup. If you don’t have an abundance of makeup at home, it’s tempting to grab some of the Halloween packages from the grocery store. Whether it’s the microplastic glitter or the fake blood with who knows what, it’s probably best for both your body and the environment to shop around. I once made the mistake of buying black nail polish from the Halloween section. It was like a liquid garbage bag that slid off in the shower! In contrast, buying any Halloween beauty supplies from the makeup section allows one to use the products throughout the year.
If you did buy a Halloween costume, make sure it lasts! When you are done with it, ask if others would like to do a costume swap in the future. I hope everyone has a safe (and environmentally friendly!) Halloween this year!