A column by Katie Salinas

All of a sudden it seems pumpkins and goblins have silently rolled or crept into the middle of just about every retail outlet, including the gas station. Even in a ghoulish economy, Halloween enthusiasts in the retail world are scaring up elaborate ways to celebrate, with detailed costumes, spooky props and fancy decorations to haunt the coziest home. The eye candy is hard to resist, especially when requests for it come from the mouths of the littlest wannabe goblins, scarecrows and witches. Let’s all give in to the fun of the season of imagination without giving away all our green, the dollars and our strong efforts of doing right for the environment.

So think orange, but go green this season. Avoiding just a few traditional Halloween routines – that usually result in waste – won’t compromise any of the fun. You might just find that the process of getting ready is more fun by doing things in an eco-friendly, homemade way.

• Skip the expensive plastic costumes: Put less stress on your wallet by opting for costumes made of reusable or recycled materials. Use your family’s creativity by constructing a unique, exciting costume from scratch. Sites like TreeHugger (http://www.treehugger.com) offer free instructional videos for how to make popular costume ideas for $10 or less. Thrift stores are another great place to get ideas and materials that can easily be transformed into fantastic, low cost costumes.

• Use reusable bags for your Trick-or-Treaters: A fun family activity is to create a unique Trick-or-Treat basket, or simply put a reusable bag to good use. Avoiding the plastic Jack-O-Lantern type containers will avoid clutter, save money, and add a dash of originality to your Trick-or-Treaters’ costume.

• DIY Decorations: Making your own decorations provides yet another money-saving, green-going opportunity. For the less than welcoming front porch adornment, consider stuffing an old trench coat with newspaper, adding a funny hat and a mask. Voila! You have a creepy doorman. Or put together a scarecrow dressed in dad’s old clothes. Must-haves like plastic spiders, witches and ghosts can be a one-time purchase, but remember to save and reuse them, year after year. When possible, look for products made of reclaimed material. If you’re buying things that must be single use, —such as paper plates—be sure to look for brands that are compostable.

• Alternative Candy Options Are Out There: When stocking up for Oct. 31, look for candy brands that donate part of their profits to environmental causes; Fair Trade-sourced chocolates; or sweets made with pure cane sugar, fruit juice, or natural colors. If you are skipping candy for health reasons, consider handing out organic apples or oranges.

• Use the whole pumpkin: Most everyone buys a pumpkin to celebrate the holiday and ends up tossing it in the trash on Nov. 1. However, avoiding that waste is easy by using the pumpkin both for food and decoration. Pumpkin is a versatile fruit. Roasted pumpkin seeds are an easy to make and healthy snack. There are hundreds of recipes online. Finally, all the left over pieces of pumpkin – can be added to your Waste Management food and yard waste collection cart. Pumpkins make great compost!

I hope these Halloween ideas will float through your neighborhood, like ghosts on Halloween night. A green Halloween might even be a whole lot more fun!

Katie Salinas is the Communications Manager for Waste Management of Washington, Inc. Katie can be reached by email at ksalinas@wm.com