Every Halloween, people dress up in costumes and step into another identity for the night. For a few hours, we transform into someone else: a vampire, a pop star, a superhero, the list goes on. Candy bowls empty as fast as laughter and screams echo through the streets. But once the masks are taken off and November makes its entrance, we return to our normal selves. We also return to reality, the aftermath of Halloween.
While Halloween is certainly quite fun, it’s also one of the most wasteful and consumerist holidays we celebrate. According to a recent study by the National Retail Federation, the total U.S. Halloween spending for 2025 hit a record-breaking $13.1 billion. Additionally, the average person spent $114.45, an increase from the $103.63 in 2024.
Think about how much money you spent this Halloween.
Over time, the creativity of costumes has evolved, and the amount of household decorations has increased, resulting in such high spending numbers. Evidently, Halloween has evolved into a business.
But behind this spectacle is a cycle of overconsumption that contributes to waste.
Most Halloween decorations are cheaply made and don’t last until the next year. Lights burn out after a while, and cobwebs end up tangled in trees and bushes. Evidently, such damage is done on purpose. Companies design these products to be disposable, ensuring that every October we head back to the store to buy more, again and again.
And once the new decorations we bought eventually give out, where do they end up? In the trash. Many of the materials within these Halloween decorations are non-biodegradable, meaning they never fully decompose. So, they’ll just sit in landfills or end up in sewers or the ocean.
Then comes the candy.
Every year, candy companies mass-produce their treats in preparation for Halloween. KitKat, for example, has “King-sized” and “pantry pack” sizes, resulting in customers paying more money for these larger-sized packages. Then, once in the hands of trick-or-treaters, the chocolate is eaten out of plastic wrappers that likely won’t be recycled. By November, what’s left behind are crushed chocolate bars and countless wrappers scattered across sidewalks and in landfills.
And then come costumes. Most are worn once, maybe twice, before being tossed aside. Think about every headpiece, synthetic wig, and cheap accessory that seemed funny or glamorous for one night but will never see the light of day again. It also doesn’t help that influencers create content where they wear a new costume for every day of the week leading up to Halloween.
Do we really need to have multiple costumes for Halloween? Whatever happened to just wearing a singular one? Overconsumption has led us to believe that wearing one singular costume isn’t enough. If you make a costume out of your own clothes, it’s seen as dull or boring.
But why? Going “all out” doesn’t have to equal spending so much money. Sometimes, it’s the random snippets of clothing or accessories we find that create the most personable looks.
While one side of the internet promotes consumerism, I’ve found that another side promotes simplicity. We’re seeing a rise in thrifted costumes, DIY makeup looks, and eco-friendly accessories made from what’s already lying around.
The magic of Halloween should stem from our creativity, imagination, and a sense of community—not from how much we spend or throw away. By reusing decorations, swapping costumes with friends, and recycling plastic wrappers and candy bowls, we can still celebrate Halloween without adding to the waste. Small choices matter. Since we transform into someone else for the night, perhaps it’s time we transform the way we celebrate, too.
After all, the scariest thing about Halloween shouldn’t be the trash it leaves behind.
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