4 Low Waste Halloween Costumes Ideas
Halloween is right around the corner. Candy is getting bought, houses are getting haunted, and costumes are getting planned. If you’re thinking about your costume this year and are still trying to reduce your waste, you might be in a bit of a pickle. So many Halloween costumes are meant to be worn once and one day only, the exact opposite of sustainability. What then are some ways to enjoy the spooky spirit while maintaining your commitment to low-waste? We have four ideas for you.
1) Killer Scarecrow, Undead Horrors, Suave Vampires, and other Clothing You Have Costumes
First on are list are costumes made mainly from clothing you already own. While this may not be the most exciting idea on the list it can still be made pretty spooky. Cutting a burlap sack into a mask is not hard, then adding flannels, overalls, gloves, and a bit of straw here and there can make a killer scarecrow. Instead of the cheesy Dracula outfit, dress up in you Sunday best then add the fangs, and suddenly your entire outfit only uses one bit of costume-wear. Take your dirtiest gardening clothes then add the zombie makeup. Don’t be afraid to look for easy-to-make character costumes too, such as Wednesday Addams, Doug Funny, any Scooby Doo character, Rick from Rick and Morty, Todd from Bojack Horseman, or a Handmaid's Tale hood. None of these may be the most revolutionary costume ideas, but they show you don’t have to spend a ton on a cheaply made costume piece you’ll throw away in a month to have fun at Halloween.
2) Cardboard Box and Paint til it’s Anything
If you’re willing to put a little elbow grease into your costume, simply painting an old cardboard box you have lying around can make for hundreds of different costumes. Dice, rubix cubes, barbie/ken dolls in the box, superman in a phone booth, a Tardis, a robot, a spaceship, a lego brick, censor bars, Warhol’s Brillo pads, an Ipad, BMO, Spongebob, those Minecraft zombies, and so on. Instead of buying something brand new, you’ll be giving an old Amazon Prime box or a movie container and making a highly memorable costume out of it. Your only limits are your painting skills and your cleverness.
3) Get Some Vintage Fashion!
A third idea for costuming is to head to the thrift store of a vintage shop and see what’s there. You don’t even need to plan out a costume ahead of time, just go to a second hand store and have fun making a period costume. The real challenge behind this is finding pieces you’d wear individually just as fun clothing, but together act as a costume with a beehive hairdo or a groovy peace sign necklace. That way you’ll be buying a “costume” that you’ll actually get to wear for more than one day, but still show up with something memorable and fun.
4) Costume Swapping
Finally, get together with some friends and pool your old costume parts. If you and your friends have props and costume parts from years past, no reason for it not to be reused. You of course don’t have to show up wearing each others exact costumes from last year, just mix and match ideas and make something new from what you have. Again, it becomes a game about creativity, and limits boost creativity. Do it while you're making the treats for the party you're going to and making the costumes can be almost as fun as the day of itself.
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