How to Have an Eco-Friendly Halloween With Sustainable Crafts

This spooky season, shedding light on an eco-friendly Halloween means finding frightfully fun ways to celebrate without leaving a trail of waste.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), Americans spend nearly $7 billion on Halloween candy, costumes, and decorations.

Once a holiday just for kids, adults are scaring up their share of fun these days. Even their pets dress to impress on Halloween. In fact, the NRF estimates that people will spend up to $350 million on costumes for their four-legged friends.

Much of that spending goes toward new plastic decorations, single-use candy wrappers, and Halloween costumes worn once and forgotten — all of which add to landfill waste and a growing carbon footprint.

But with just a little creativity, it's possible to have a green Halloween that's just as spooky and fun — and a lot easier on your wallet and the planet.

As fun as Halloween is, though, it can have a frightening effect on our wallets, waistlines, and the environment. Here are five tips for making this year's Halloween decorations a little less black and orange and a whole lot more green.

Shedding Light on an Eco-Friendly Halloween: 5 Crafty Ideas

Before you head out to buy new decorations this year, consider what you already have at home. Recycled materials, cardboard boxes, old fabric, and items headed for the bin can all be transformed into homemade decorations with a little creativity — and they cost next to nothing. Here are five eco-friendly ideas to get you started.

1. Got milk…jugs?

Save your milk jugs and other plastic and glass containers and turn them into hauntingly good works of art.  While you’re at it, add a battery-operated light, glow sticks, or a candle and light up your house on Halloween night.

This is a great craft for teachers, parents, and kids, or just because it’s fun.  Plus, the price is right.  Check out these designs courtesy of Upcycled Wonders. This is one of the easiest ways to reuse what you already have, skip the plastic Halloween decorations aisle, and still decorate your home in spooky style.

Dress up a dress shirt

Grab a blouse or dress shirt, hang it up, and spray it with fabric starch or stiffener.  Let it dry, fill it with lights, and hang it in your yard. So much fun!  Post Scriptum on Flickr calls these Haunted Spirits.

Think of it as a DIY ghost made from a white sheet — or in this case, a shirt — that costs nothing, creates a great yard display, and keeps usable clothing out of the trash.

related article: A Strategic Guide to Residential Energy Storage To Save More

Light the way with BOO Lanterns.

Save those coffee cans and use a hammer and nail to create spooky scenes, or use three cans to spell BOO! Courtesy of com, here’s how it’s done:

Materials

• 3 tin cans, cleaned and with the labels removed
• water
• freezer
• hammer and nail
• scrap paper – junk mail would work well for this
• markers
• 6 rubber bands
• 3 tea lights

Directions

• Fill up your cans with water, and stick them in the freezer. The ice inside will keep your cans from denting while you’re hammering them. They may need to freeze overnight, depending on the size of your cans, so plan ahead!
• Meanwhile, sort out your artwork. Cut your paper to size, so the art will fit on your cans, then draw the design you want onto your scrap paper.
• When your cans are completely frozen, pull out the first one, and use the rubber bands to attach the art to the cans.
• Hammer away! It takes 3-5 whacks with the hammer to make each hole, so be patient as you work your way around. The idea here is to “trace” your design with somewhat equally spaced holes. If things are a bit uneven, don’t sweat it!
• Repeat with the other two cans.
• Place the hammered cans into a bowl or bucket so that you can collect the water when the ice melts. You can use it to water some plants, instead of letting it go to waste.
• Place one tea light into each luminary, turn off the lights, and bask in the glow of your crafty creations!

These tin can jack-o’-lanterns are a natural, low-cost alternative to store-bought Halloween decor — and a great project to do with friends, neighbors, or kids at a Halloween party.

Casper up your front lawn.

Halloween simply wouldn’t be complete without a ghost or two.  Another creation by CraftingGreenWorld.com, these ghost guys are fun and easy to make, and put materials you already have at home to good use.  Here’s what you will need:

• Cheese Cloth – about 1 1/2 Yards
• Starch: 3 C Cold water and 3 tablespoons of corn starch boiled and cooled. The consistency should be like gravy.
• Balloon
• Coated Wire Hanger – if the wire is exposed, it will rust and stain the ghost.
• Tall bottle of any kind.
• 4-5 River Rocks
• Two circle cut outs for the eyes.
• Bowl (Not pictured)
• Towel

Directions:

• Shape the hanger to form two ghost arms and the bottom part to go inside the bottle.
• Add the rocks inside the bottle to make it stable. Insert the wire hanger in the bottle, and tape the balloon on top of the bottle, over the wire hanger. You can secure the wire hanger with tape, if you need to. Place it on the towel because it will get messy.
• Coat the cheesecloth with starch thoroughly in a bowl and squeeze out excess starch. Then, drape it over the balloon, leaving enough cheesecloth on the floor, front and back. This extra will help your ghost stand.
• Let it dry completely and then glue on the eyes!

No need to buy a costume. A white sheet or cheesecloth is all it takes. These DIY costumes and homemade decorations keep plastic decorations out of the landfill and give kids a creative activity to look forward to during trick-or-treating season.

related article: Rising Utility Costs: Understanding Why PECO Is Raising Electric Rates in 2026

Creep out your lamp

Everybody knows that X-rays are cool to look at, but they border on creepy when used in this eco-friendly Halloween craft.  Gather up those old X-rays, or see if your friends or family members have any lying around.  This idea comes from funinthemaking.net.

Simply find an old lamp and use the shade as a model for making a new one out of an X-ray.  Use black electrical or duct tape to cover the seams.  Put it back on the lamp and light it up.

It's a perfect example of how recycled materials and a little creativity can create sustainable Halloween décor that looks great, costs nothing, and keeps old items out of the trash.

Be green every day – including Halloween

With the help of the sun, you can be green, every day – including Halloween.  You can dramatically reduce your carbon footprint and your monthly residential or business electric bill with a solar energy system.

Find out more about the possibilities for cost savings and making a positive impact on the environment by reaching out to the experts at TerraSol Energies, Inc.

We are a family-run business that has served the Tri-State area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware since 2009.  We recently announced its expansion into the commercial solar market by signing on as an official Commercial Dealer for SunPower Corporation – serving small- and medium-sized businesses, large commercial businesses, schools, government buildings, and more.

related article: PECO Unveils New Solar Incentive for Businesses

Whether you’re just starting your research or are ready to make the move to solar, TerraSol can help.  Contact us today for a free consultation:  888.873.9995.

Because the most eco-friendly Halloween of all is one powered by sustainable energy year-round — and that’s exactly what TerraSol Energies helps homeowners and businesses across PA, NJ, and DE achieve.

Sustainable decorations save money in the long run. That’s what shedding light on an eco-friendly Halloween is really all about.