Trick or treat, or reuse and recycle? Australians will spend $450 million on Halloween this year, including costumes, confections and decorations for trick-or-treaters and revelers.
But if you want to avoid new or disposable items, you can get sustainably spooky in October – and save money at the same time. Here, a home stylist and recycling expert share their tips for low-waste Halloween decorations that won’t cost the earth.
1. Home-spun spider webs
Fake spider webs are the go-to Halloween decoration, but many off-the-shelf items are made of plastic or synthetic fibers.
However, you can achieve the same web effect with natural fibers such as wool, cotton muslin and hessian. At the pinch of a knife, old wool insulation, socks or a sack of potatoes can be chopped, frayed or tied into cobwebs.
“If you’ve got some old white socks that no longer fit your kids … just cut them up and thread them and then just drape them,” says Chantel Mila, a Melbourne-based home stylist and organization expert.
To minimize the risk to wildlife, drape the cobwebs loosely and ideally on fences rather than in bushes or trees.
2. Turn sheets and sacks into ghosts
If you have an old sheet, you have a new ghost. Tie, tear or draw on old bed sheets or hessian bags to create the skin for some spooky spirits, says Kirsten Junor, managing director of Sydney recycling center Reverse Garbage.
“Stuff another towel in it, just tie a knot around the neck and hang it up like a ghost,” says Junor.
“We sell a lot of hessian sacks and they look really creepy and creepy when you rip them open.”
For a ghost that stands on its own two feet, Mila suggests reusing an old pool noodle, a sheet, and children’s clothes. “Bend the pool noodle in half and dress it with the children’s clothes and shoes. Then drape on some excess white fabric or a small tablecloth and two paper eyes – you have a spooky DIY ghost!”
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3. Old gloves, creepy hands
“If you have old dish gloves, you can get plaster … and you can make hand molds,” says Junor.
Prepare the plaster according to the instructions on the package, then carefully pour it into a dish mitt and tie it tightly. To create a “hollow” hand shape, let the glove dry on a round surface; when dry, the glove is cut away and painted with acrylic paint.
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4. Mannequins are an easy win
Few houses will have a mannequin lying around, but discarded models can be found at recycling centers or online marketplaces.
“Around Halloween, we do a good run on mannequin parts, which is fun,” says Junor.
“We save a lot of mannequins for recycling, and sometimes they’re a little broken, or they just come in with legs.”
The best part is that they don’t need any work – the faceless or headless models are inhuman and disturbing enough as they are.
5. Recycle your Christmas lights
It’s all about context. Strings of lights surrounded by tinsel might say “Merry Christmas,” but twinkling lights surrounded by ghosts and skeletons scream “Happy Halloween.” Festive lights can turn eerie whites, poisonous greens and blood reds when paired with spooky decor.
“Instead of buying something bright, I use fairy lights, which I can then use again for Christmas,” says Mila. “Just buy a set of the same lighting and then you can just add it to the decoration you’re using.”
And those trying to maintain their own energy levels might consider leaving the lights on after Halloween is over – Christmas is only eight weeks away by then.