Halloween is a holiday dedicated to ca pumpkins and candy comas, but what happens to all the squash and sugar on November 1st? Over 1 billion pounds of pumpkin are produced during the Halloween season, the vast majority end up rotting in the landfill. And the sweet stuff? Americans buy 600 million pounds of candy a year with that hard-to-recycle wrapper.

I know I want to reduce my waste for Zero Waste Month, and if you do too you might want to take a tip or two from what I scoured on the waste-free web.

Graphic by Katherine Facchini

1. DIY your costume. Some Halloween’s I have up to three costumes for one weekend. Financially speaking, I can’t buy three different $49.99 outfits. This year I’ve been browsing through my closet, my mom’s closet and my grandmother’s clothes.  I suggest looking through family or friend’s closets to borrow for the night, or even host your own costume swap.
2. Thrift your costume. If your closet is not Halloween-worthy check out your local thrift store. I’ve found some true treasures from the ’80’s and 90’s, which are perfect for a themed party. Housing Works, Monk and Goodwill are all close to NYU’s campus and definitely in a college student’s budget.
3. Compost. If you carved a pumpkin for an hall event or just wanted to spruce up your apartment with a squash, don’t forget to compost! The Union Square GreenMarket organizes a compost collection every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
4. Decorate your dorm with DIY crafts made from old milk bottles, mason jars and  even toliet paper rolls. Check out some creative projects here. Also, if you plan on using some lights or electric decorations, make sure to conserve energy by turning them off when you leave!
5. Say no to wrapped candy. There’s nothing that grinds my gears more than mini candies, why so much wrapping for so little reward?! Choose a treat like homemade brownies or sugar cookies instead of a basket full of plastic.