With reports revealing that throwaway Halloween costumes can annually generating the equivalent of 83m plastic bottles worth of plastic waste, the holiday can have a scary impact on waste and our environment. As families prepare for spooky season, DS Smith reveals how a little imagination can bring a second life to cardboard boxes found in the home.
The DS Smith Cardstumes Halloween Guide provides you with all the tips needed to build creative costumes with materials found around the house that can then be recycled after the holiday.
Each year, millions of people in the UK dressed up for Halloween, with many of these outfits made from materials which are difficult to recycle, such as polyester. Not only do ‘cardstumes’ provide a fun, crafty activity for children as they get ready for a night of Trick or Treating, but as they are made from cardboard and are recyclable, they also reduce the waste that is usually generated by Halloween.
Tim Price, Divisional Communications Director, at DS Smith, said, “With more than 135m cardboard boxes stowed in homes across the country, it’s about time we had a little fun with them! At DS Smith, we’re always on the lookout for ways to reduce plastic use and we’re excited to share these easy-to-follow guides to help families reuse cardboard boxes at home, before ensuring they’re properly recycled. Our ‘cardstumes’ not only look great, they also help in the effort to reduce the amount of hard to recycle material used – and the subsequent waste – while providing a fun and educational activity for children on the importance of reuse and recycling.”
