Turn your Halloween green: No tricks just treats

From reusing costumes and decorations to cooking up tasty pumpkin treats and recycling leftovers, there is a lot we can do to ensure the fun is extended beyond Friday night (31 October 2025).

Halloween can have a frightening impact on the environment with an estimated 13 million pumpkins bought each year for decoration – with as much as 4.5 million tonnes of good food thrown out, that’s 38 million wheelie bins.

Cheltenham Borough Council is asking residents to help reduce waste this year by extending the family fun beyond Friday night. Pumpkins make an excellent staple for soups but can also add a seasonal twist to baking as well as other culinary delights. Being creative with costumes can also add excitement in the build-up to the big night. 

Cllr Paul Baker, cabinet member for waste, recycling, parks, gardens and green open space, said: “Halloween can be such an exciting time for families particularly those with young children who enjoy trick or treating. It can feel as if it is all over a little too quickly. However, by getting creative with costumes in advance and using pumpkins for cooking and baking afterwards, you can extend the excitement. In this way a green Halloween means more fun being creative, thoughtful and kind to the planet.”

Get creative with your costumes
An estimated 2k tonnes of plastic waste, equivalent to 83m bottles, is generated from throw-away Halloween clothing in the UK each year. Making your costume using an old bed sheet for a ghost or a cardboard box robot, can provide countless hours of fun. You could also re-use costumes from previous years, saving money and time searching for new outfits. Sharing costumes with friends and family is the next best option and Gloucestershire Libraries are again running a Halloween Costume Swap to help reduce waste and support the cost of living.

Food waste
Recipes can be found on the national Love Food Hate Waste website for those wanting to try something new in the kitchen, including roast pumpkin lasagne, pumpkin ravioli and pumpkin seed brownies. Alternatively, please do consider recycling your used pumpkin in your compost recycling box. Please ensure any candles or additional accessories inside the pumpkin are removed and it is cut up before being placed inside the compost caddy.  

Plastic bags, films and wrappings
Plastic bags, films and wrappings, such as sweet wrappers, can be taken to some supermarkets for recycling. Check out your local supermarket to see what you can recycle there. If you are part of the trial area for FlexCollect in Cheltenham, plastic bags and wrappings can be recycled as part of your kerbside recycling service.

Wildlife 
Please don't leave pumpkins on the ground as they are harmful to wildlife particualrly hedgehogs. You should dispose of them using your foodwaste bin which can be placed on your nearby kerbside for collection (see food waste above). 

Foil wrappers
It can be tricky to avoid all the plastic associated with trick or treating sweets. So why not opt for foil wrapped sweets and chocolates for easily recyclable packaging. You can recycle clean foil in your kerbside recycling in with your plastic and cans, just scrunch it into a ball before recycling.
 

For media enquiries contact: communications telephone 01242 264231, email [email protected]

Notes to editors:

• Pumpkin recycling collections: Pumpkins should be put out at kerbside in or alongside your food waste caddy on your usual collection day.  Put the pumpkin in a plastic bag if needed.
• Find recipe ideas at: www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
• Details on costume swaps available via Gloucestershire Libraries: www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/libraries
• Residents can check local recycling guidance at: www.cheltenham.gov.uk/bins