Skip to main content

Zero Waste Halloween Treats

75b5f29b0a0d028a00b125bd919a59f0.jpg

Halloween is quite a challenge for zero wasters with many unhealthy treats packaged in wrappers that are difficult to reuse or recycle. So instead our household prepares our own treats in compostable/recyclable food grade wax envelopes. We also staple a note to each one so the recipient knows exactly what they are getting, where it came from, and how to properly reuse/recycle the note and packaging. And we have a nonfood option as well for kids who have food allergies.

Here is the note we gave out this year with our treats:
Dear Trick-or-Treater,

Thanks for stopping at our house!

This year we are giving out non-food treats (worry stone and $1 for your college fund)  or organic food treats for you to savor (cashews, dark chocolate almonds, or raisins) all packaged in compostable wax paper bags.

Reduce, reuse, recycle!

Reduce -- We need to conserve our world’s limited resources. Treats are extra special when you get just a little. So take it slow and easy and savor every little bit.

Reuse -- Please reuse this printed paper and the waxed paper bag. Reuse conserves resources and minimizes trash. If you don’t want the treats we’ve given you, we’re sure your parents would love them!

Recycle -- If you cannot reuse this paper or plastic bag, please recycle / compost / food cycle them (paper into paper recycling bin, bag into compost / food cycle bin). Please dispose of everything in the proper place to keep our world safe and clean.

Trash Nothing -- Unfortunately most regular candy wrappers cannot be reused or recycled and just end up as trash. Much of this trash goes into our streams and ocean -- killing wildlife and eventually getting back into our own food -- yuck!

To learn a few simple ways to take better care of our world, see:

For more advanced tips on how to go zero waste, see:

Please take care of yourself and our world, you are precious and deserve the very best!

Thanks!

Sincerely,
Tim & Pat Oey
Allison Way
Sunnyvale, CA 94087

Here is a picture of our sidewalk sign outside our house:


Our front porch:


The treats we purchased in bulk in our own packaging:


The note we printed and cut up (2 sided):


And the treats all ready to hand out:


In the past we have also given out mandarin oranges and homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. For more about nonfood options, please see the Teal Pumpkin Project.

We hope you all had a great Halloween and will try zero waste options in the future!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The best way to dispose of dog poop

Based on my research, the best way to handle dog poop is to use a reusable pooper scooper and flush the poop down a toilet . Pros: - Sewer systems are designed to handle poop (yours and your pet's) safely and effectively (this was verified by calling the local sewage treatment plant in Sunnyvale, California) - The poop is treated and recycled fairly quickly and safely back into the environment Cons: - Need to carry the poop to a toilet - Need to purchase or make a reusable pooper scooper Here are other alternatives generally listed from healthiest for environment to least healthy. Use a flushable poop bag and flush down a toilet. Pros: - Sewer systems are designed to handle poop - The poop is treated and recycled - Easy to carry bag around to pick up poop Cons: - Flushable bags can "melt" in rain or other very wet conditions - Flushable bags should be kept sealed in another plastic bag before use - Flushable bags are a bit expensive and hard to find - Flushable bags smell...

Yes we can solve our climate emergency!

We humans are facing a climate emergency of our own making. On top of that mankind is consuming about twice as much resources as our earth can sustainably provide each year - look up Earth Overshoot Day. If every household with incomes equal to or greater than mine did what my household has done, we would no longer have a climate emergency. My house is now fully electric with all of its electricity from solar and a bit of wind (no fossil fuels). Our transportation is almost entirely by bicycle and electric car. Our household trash is down to about a quart a month. We count ourselves blessed to have everything we need to live comfortably. My household and others like us have shown that yes we can live well and still be responsible custodians of our world. We've cut our carbon and trash waste to less than a hundredth of what it was just 10 years ago. If mankind does not choose to reduce its resource consumption dramatically by either living much more economically or halving the...

Would you like to be $2 Million Richer?

How would you like to be a millionaire? One way to help you get there is to save money. If you are a couple who is thinking of having 2 kids and 2 cars here are two big ways to reduce your costs. The USDA recently calculated that the average child in the US would cost $233,610 to raise from 0 to age 17. This does not include college costs. College costs can vary widely (community colleges are a great deal) but if you send your kid to a private college this can easily cost $50,000 to $70.000 a year or $200,000 to $280,000 for 4 years. So if a young couple chooses NOT to have two children, they could save roughly $1 million! Now on the car front, AAA recently calculated that the average cost of car ownership in the US is $9282 per year . That comes to $557,000 per car over a lifetime of car ownership (say about 60 years). So if a young couple decides to forgo owning two cars and use bicycles to get around instead they will save about $1.1 million! Combine the savings from deciding not t...