14 Affordable and Sustainable Halloween Costume Ideas
It’s October which means it’s time to start thinking about Halloween Costumes, candy, and pumpkin EVERYTHING. It’s also a good time to think about the impact we have on the planet when it comes to Halloween.
Let’s explore the sustainability of Halloween and discover some eco-friendly DIY Halloween costumes we can make with clothes we already have in our closet!
Is Halloween a Wasteful Holiday?
Let’s not sugar coat it: Halloween is not good for the planet. From the single-use plastic-wrapped candies, to the rotting pumpkins that barely decompose in landfills, to the cheap, thrown-away halloween costumes, it’s a consumption based holiday that produces a lot of waste and isn’t the most eco-friendly.
According to Fast Company, Americans spend an estimated $3 billion on Halloween costumes.
Most of these will be cheap, disposable costumes sold by retailers and roughly 80% of materials used to make these costumes are derived from plastic. And over time, it all ends up in the landfills.
That’s not to mention the ethical dilemma of Halloween: Forbes reminds us that “Most Halloween costumes are produced overseas in China to take advantage of cheap labor.”
And unless it’s certified fair trade or organic candy, it’s hard to know the quality of the candy you’re eating and where it comes from.
So what can you do? Well, you can take action by using what you already have at home and getting a little crafty with DIY projects.
Here’s a list of sustainable ways to make awesome halloween costumes from things in your home. Save your money and the planet while still taking part in this fun holiday.
14 Sustainable DIY Halloween Costumes
These easy halloween costumes feature items you probably already have in your closet or craft items you have in your cabinets! These ideas are affordable costumes that provide eco-friendly solutions for this festive time of year.
Easy Target Employee or Jake from State Farm Costume
This one is almost universally recognizable…khakis and a red polo or shirt. If you want to get creative you can cut out the circular logo for Target or the logo from State Farm. Great if you need a last-minute costume!
Classic Black Cat Costume
A classic costume. Most people have black pants and shirts in their closet. Jeans, leggings, sweats, it all works! Then you can make a pair of ears with a headband and black construction paper, or borrow a pair of cat ears from a friend (someone has to have a pair!).
You can make a tail out of construction paper, too, or skip it and tell everyone you’re the classic tailless Manx breed. Don’t forget a set of whiskers using face paint or eyeliner!
Wednesday Addams
If you have long hair (or a dark wig you can braid) this one is an easy classic! Wear a black dress or black top and skirt, black stockings and black shoes. Braid your hair in two pigtails and give a moody/blank stare at everyone all night.
Where in the world is…Waldo / Carmen Sandiego
These two options are fun because they’d make a great couple’s costume, or group costume, too.
For the Where’s Waldo costume you need a white shirt, a red shirt, or a red-and-white striped shirt. You can use red electrical tape or white masking tape to make horizontal stripes on you plain white or red shirts.
Then you need to wear jeans, and a knit beanie (red is best!). Finally, for the iconic circle glasses, you can either wear your own pair, borrow a costume pair if a friend has one, or use eyeliner or face paint to mark the circle glasses on your face.
For Carmen Sandiego, you’ll need a trenchcoat, black pants, and a fedora. Traditionally she wears a red jacket and red hat, but you can get away with wearing a tan one if you also have a map you can carry around for context clues.
Nerd
Another easy group costume! You can wear almost anything in your closet - tan pants or shorts, black shorts or pants, and a button up with a pocket for pencils. Tuck your shirt into your pants, and if you have suspenders, great.
Finally add glasses and carry a calculator around. Bonus if you share trivia facts or mathematical phrases!
Price is Right Contestant
Wear a solid, bright colored shirt and your favorite pants. To make this look recognizable just cut out a big price tag shaped name tab and pin it to your shirt. Make sure to run around with extreme enthusiasm, and if you’re at a party you can spend the night guessing the price of things.
Fun DIY Zombie Costume
This is a great way to reuse an old costume or old clothes you never wear anymore. Just “zombify” either with tears in the fabric and/or smudges of dirt or face paint. Then using face paint or makeup you can give yourself an undead look. Make sure you moan and groan at people!
Fantasy Football
This is a punny costume, and it works well for anyone who has a football lover at home. Borrow a jersey, wrap a sheet around your neck or shoulders as a cape, and make a pointy hat out of construction papers. You can make a wand using a twig or a pencil with a paper star taped to the top. Have fun with it!
Rosie the Riveter
All you need is a denim or chambray button up top and a red bandana. Put your hair up or pin it back, and wrap the bandana around your head as a headband or scarf. Bright red lipstick helps pull this look together.
Easy Witch or Wizard Costume
If you have dark graduation robes from high school or college still, this is so easy. Wear your robes, or a dark dress / dark sheet tied around your shoulders, and find the best wandlike stick from your yard.
You can be a specific wizard (hello, Harry, Ron and Hermione!) or a generic witch or wizard. Bonus if you already own a black pointy hat.
Sustainable Amazon Package Costume Made from Reused Box
All you need for this is a cardboard box big enough to wear around your waist. It doesn’t have to be an amazon box, but if it isn’t you can draw the recognizable logo swoop with a black marker.
Then either hold the box up all night around your waist, or better yet make suspenders with any extra fabric you might have to help hold the box up by stapling the fabric to the edges of the box and wearing them as straps.
DIY Ruth Bader Ginsberg Costume
Never forget this historic judge! If you have a dark graduation robe (preferably black) wear that with a collar around your neck. You can make one out of a doily, lacey fabric, or get creative with construction paper! Glasses and a gavel are great accessories, and make sure you spend the night saying “I dissent!”
Borrow a costume
If all else fails and you feel like you have nothing to wear, or can’t get crafty, borrow a costume from a friend.
Assemble from a thrift store or Buy Nothing group
If you’re looking for a specific clothing or accessory item that you just don’t have around the house and can’t borrow from a friend, try purchasing it secondhand from a thrift store or getting it from your neighborhood buy nothing group.
Hopefully this guide has given you some ideas for affordable and eco-friendly Halloween costumes!
MEET THE AUTHOR
Marina Crouse is a writer, editor, & writing coach based in Los Angeles, California. She has her MFA in creative writing and 10+ years experience working as a professional writer. Her favorite sustainability habits involve making choices that are kind to herself, others, & the planet, & carrying her emotional support reusable water bottle with her everywhere. Learn more on Marina’s website or Instagram.
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