7 Eco-Friendly Halloween Decorations That Look Amazing
Let’s talk eco-friendly Halloween decorations that don’t look like well… trash. Our resident creative and sustainable home decor guru, Reese Moore, is a self-proclaimed sustainable Halloween queen, and she’s got the resume to back it up.
Lots of sustainable holiday decorations leave something to be desired, especially if crunchy sustainability isn’t really your vibe. A trash pumpkin is all the rage for green queens, and I think they are really neat. I mean, they certainly don’t look like the trash of which they are actually made. But if you’re not living that full-on susty life, a trash pumpkin and its more sustainable Halloween decoration brethren might be too spooky for you.
Have no fear about these eco-friendly Halloween decorations. Our uber-creative design and decor expert turns thrifted gifts, compostable materials, and the best of the best from her grandmother’s attic into seriously amazing holiday setups that will blow away even the most diligent design critics. I think she can convince you to ditch the churn of cheap, plastic Halloween decorations once and for all.
7 Eco-Friendly Halloween Decorations That Look Amazing
Don’t believe me? Decide for yourself. Here are 7 amazing eco-friendly Halloween decorations that will have you wondering how you can turn someone’s trash into your Halloween treasure.
Poison Apple Halloween Tablescape
Pick some apples from your local orchard (seconds are our favorite spooky table decor) and dip them in chocolate. Pair them with a DIY dead tree (i.e. twigs covered in black paint) that brings a dose of darkness to the Halloween tablescape.
Eco-friendly Halloween Decorations Highlights:
- fall apples are seasonal and edible
- twigs are free, spooky, and compostable
- reusable candles give a festive glow
- thrift store glasses finish off this spooky setting
Spooky DIY Halloween Signs from Pallets
Put your pallets to good use with a little paint to let your neighbors know that they may not want to mess with the scary Halloween scene in your front yard.
Eco-friendly Halloween Decorations Highlights:
- repurpose wood pallets
- sand off the paint and add the wood into the compost bin when you’re done
Elegant Halloween Tablescape with Pumpkins and Gourds
If you’re looking for a Halloween tablescape that’s snazzy and not scary, this is it. Dress up old wine bottles with some drippy candle wax. Highlight the heirloom pumpkins. And set the table for a fun dinner with friends and family.
Eco-friendly Halloween Decorations Highlights:
- pumpkins are readily available and compostable (if you don’t eat them)
- repurpose wine bottles
- reusable candles give a festive glow
Spooky DIY Haunted Pumpkin Patch
The DIY pallet signs add the finishing touch to your entirely compostable haunted pumpkin patch. Don’t worry about having to store these eco-friendly Halloween decorations because you put the natural materials right back into the soil at the end of the season.
Eco-friendly Halloween Decorations Highlights:
- made almost entirely from organic materials like hay bales and pumpkins that can be reused and/or composted
Fall-inspired Twig Garland
Twigs and sticks abound. Turn all that “yard waste” into a work of art on your porch. If you’re feeling inspired, weave some twinkle lights through the twigs for a really neat effect at night.
Eco-friendly Halloween Decorations Highlights:
- twigs are free, easy to gather, and can go in the compost when you’re done
- can easily incorporate leaves and twinkle lights to make it fancier and more seasonal
Candy Corn Egg Carton Lights
Did you ever thing egg cartons could be so chic? And what’s not to love about putting those little holiday lights to work outside of the season? The more we can use things we already have, the better!
Eco-friendly Halloween Decorations Highlights:
- use your sparkly twinkle lights more than once a year
- repurpose egg cartons, and then toss them in the compost after the holiday season
Create Witch’s Brews with Upcycled Jars
A jar of water. A pinch of food coloring. A little Kombucha SCOBY or some squishy eyeballs from your collection and you’ve got yourself a creepy little witch’s brew. Make an entire collection in different colors to have enough ingredients for all your potion recipes.
Eco-friendly Halloween Decorations Highlights:
- repurpose glass jars from all sorts of food packaging
- a little water and food coloring goes a long way and then can be tossed down the drain when you’re done
Jen Panaro
Jen Panaro, founder and editor-in-chief of Honestly Modern, is a self-proclaimed composting nerd and advocate for sustainable living for modern families. To find her latest work, subscribe to her newsletter, Stepping Stones.
In her spare time, she’s a serial library book borrower, a messy gardener, and a mom of two boys who spends a lot of time in hockey rinks and on baseball fields.
You can find more of her work at Raising Global Kidizens, an online space to help parents and caregivers raise the next generation of responsible global citizens.
