A shopper made a startlingly spooky discovery in a dumpster while hunting for Halloween decorations for their yard, uncovering the haunting reality of seasonal waste in the process.
What's happening?
On the r/HalloweenProps subreddit, the OP explained, "I found this abandoned by a dumpster earlier this year," and shared a photo of an animatronic undead knight. Everything was working, from the speakers to the light-up eyes; the only thing missing was its sword.
The OP originally wanted to purchase a replacement prop sword, but after considering that a knight didn't fit their theme, they got creative and "dug through all my plastic boxes of Halloween junk and found I had enough black material to make it into a grim reaper," adding some extra paint to the skull portion.
People in the comments were impressed with the OP's find and creativity, with one person writing, "I always love seeing people make use of things others take for granted."
Why are Halloween decorations important?
The Halloween market is an enormous one in the United States, with Americans expected to spend $13 billion on the holiday this year, according to the National Retail Federation, up a whopping $2 billion from last year's estimate. Most of those decorations are made from plastic, as are the costumes (80% are made of polyester), much of which is often unceremoniously tossed in the trash once the holiday has passed.
When all that plastic is dumped into a landfill, it contributes to the 2.2 billion tons of waste generated every year, releasing planet-warming gases, toxic chemicals, and microplastics. And during the holiday season, between Halloween and New Year's, the amount of waste created by people increases anywhere from 25-43%.
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Stores like Spirit Halloween contribute to this increase in waste because their business model is built on a system that creates a lot of leftover inventory, which is typically destroyed before it's thrown in the trash, making it unusable for savvy dumpster divers.
Are decor/home goods companies doing anything about this?
Spirit Halloween hasn't publicly addressed its practices around unsold merchandise, though it does have an in-house charitable organization, Spirit of Children Halloween, which brings Halloween fun to kids in children's hospitals.
The craft giant Michael's, which is also known for its seasonal decor, does have a sustainability program, which recycled 42.6% of non-hazardous waste in 2023 and used 2.5 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy that same year.
The efforts are nice, but they seem small when compared with the billions being spent every year on decorations and costumes that are treated as disposable.
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Absolutely 💯 What's being done about seasonal waste more broadly?
While some businesses encourage recycling or donation, the simplest step is to stop buying and start getting creative.
Many costumes can be made from items found in thrift stores, Buy Nothing Groups, or even just borrowing from a friend or neighbor. The same can be said for most decorations as well, and you can offer ones that no longer serve you to those same resources.
Whenever possible, purchasing products made from sustainable materials instead of plastic is helpful. It's also valuable to buy quality decorations that can be reused year after year, rather than chasing a specific trend for the Halloween season.
HGTV offers a great list of items that will last for years and become traditional favorites when it's time to dust off the cobwebs in the attic and add some to your front door for trick-or-treaters.
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