Zero Waste Halloween

I have to admit, eliminating waste when it comes to holidays and entertaining is really a challenge for me.  I LOVE to throw parties and have tended to go all out (borderline crazy) planning and hosting them.  But, I am trying to retrain my brain to be less wasteful and remind myself that what people remember most isn't the decorations and all those short lived things, it's the fun, food and company that matters.  So, in the next few months, be on the look out for posts that contain tips on how to reduce your waste during the holidays without sacrificing the thrill of it all.

First up: Halloween.

What to Give: This is by far one of my favorite holidays.  I love the costumes, pumpkin carving and the official onset of Fall (my favorite season).  I think the biggest challenge this year is what to give for trick-or-treating when you are striving for a Zero Waste home.  In the past, I have given mini Play-Doh isntead of candy, but now I am trying to steer clear of plastics, if possible.  So, this year I decided to go with Halloween-themed decorated fruit.  First, this is going to be a fun art project for my daughter and me decorating these things.  Second, it's a healthy, yet tasty treat.  And finally, it's Zero Waste!  No packaging and peels are compostable.  If kids aren't interested, they can simply say "no thank you," which means I am not giving someone something they don't want = no waste.  I am sure many of you are thinking this is lame as it is not as exciting as a Tootsy Roll, but to me it makes a lot of sense.  And I have to think there are other parents out there that would be happy to have their kids get something guilt-free. 

What You Get: I haven't gone so far as to not let my kids trick-or-treat.  But we make a deal: In exchange for giving away the candy they collect I let them pick out an assortment of bulk bin candy that they can keep in their own jar to have in the future (in small quantities here and there).  This way, they still get to have the exciting delicious candy, but I have the peace of mind that they are choosing waste free items that don't include artificial ingredients, preservatives and other toxins.  You would be amazed at the selection of candies in bulk bins these days (candy drops (i.e., M&M equivalents), jelly beans, gummy bears, toffee, chocolate and yogurt covered you-name-it, etc.) but without all the artificial ingredients.  My 2-year-old knows where the candy section is in our pantry and hits me up just about every day for a jelly bean or 2.  

Costumes: This is, in my opinion, the least restrictive in terms of the effort to be zero waste.  You can still get a new costume, but consider getting one second hand (like a family hand me down) or as part of a costume exchange before getting a new one.  And if you do get a new one, make sure you save to hand down to someone else or donate.  In LA, many of the farmers markets have costume exchanges.  Don't hesitate to check them out.  It's also a great money saver!  Another option is to rent a costume.  

Decorations: Get things that you can use over and over, year after year, as opposed to single use items.  And try to find fun ways to incorporate compostable items into your decor, like pumpkins, corn stalks, paper, cardboard and hay.  Also, choose things that you can use for more than one holiday.  

Pumpkins: Last, but not least, don't forget to compost those jack-o-lanterns (which means your green bin Angelinos)!

Junk Mail Opt Outs & Going Paperless

Hopefully, this topic causes your ears to perk up because who doesn't abhor junk mail?  It truly makes me ill at how much paper is wasted every day on junk mail, not to mention the needless paper monthly statements that payees can easily access online.  The paper literally gets moved from your a box/slot to the recycling bin and is such a waste!  Given today's technology, why do we even need catalogs, flyers, paper advertisements or statements, when everything we need and want is right at our fingertips online.  If you are not sure how to tackle this problem, here are some quick, easy and free solutions:



Catalog Choice (https://www.catalogchoice.org/) is a great place to start and covers a huge chunk of unwanted mail, not to mention it's easy and free. You simply register and then start selecting the catalogs, phone books, credit card and other advertisements, etc. that you no longer want to receive.  This company works directly with merchants to ensure that the opt-outs are being honored.  So, it has proven to be highly effective.  They also have a unique tracking feature that shows you how much water and trees you are saving based on your opt-out selections, which I find to be rewarding.  It's nice to get a little pat on the back for your efforts, right?



DMA Choice (https://www.dmachoice.org/) is very similar to Catalog Choice and is an alternative service that does the work for you.



PaperKarma (https://www.paperkarma.com/) is by far my favorite.  I had opted out of receiving catalogs long ago, so the stuff I get is more related to credit card applications, local realtor and restaurant advertisements, and the like.  This type of stuff isn't always covered in the online services like Catalog Choice and DMA Choice because the merchants aren't large enough to be identified.  PaperKarma is a free Apple (at the iTunes App store) or Google (Google Play) mobile device app.  Once you download the app, you simply take a picture of the piece of mail you received using the app, and it does the work for you.  PaperKarma contacts the sender and sees to the opt-out.  My husband and I have come to love this app for it's ease and effectiveness.


Yellow Pages Opt-Out (https://www.yellowpagesoptout.com/) is a site dedicated to opting out of receiving phone books.  While Catalog Choice offers this option too, I found this site to be really quick and effective.  Phone Books are the monsters of junk mail in that they use so much paper.  Given the online resources we have nowadays, they are all but rendered useless.



The next time you get a paper statement, look it over to find out how to go paperless.  Most merchants offer this option nowadays.  And if the statement doesn't tell you how, just go to the website.