By Jason Giovannettone, Climate and Sustainability Director
One common sustainability concern that I hear (and often think about personally) is whether there are options for purchasing sustainable candy (in terms of both ingredients and packaging) or other packaged snacks to hand out to trick-or-treaters on Halloween. Much of the packaging of candy and other snacks is not recyclable, which adds to plastic waste. Passing out unpackaged candy will likely result in it being thrown away immediately by caring parents, adding to food waste.
Why are most candy and snack wrappers and bags unrecyclable? Such packaging is often made of a mix of individually recyclable materials such as plastic, tin, aluminum, and others. The problem is that when you mix these together, they are extremely time-consuming and expensive to separate, and, as such, considered non-recyclable. Therefore, when tempted to recycle your empty chip bag with other recyclable bags, it should go in the trash; otherwise, it may contaminate the other bags and cause everything to end up in the landfill.
There are a few more sustainable options available when purchasing treats for Halloween. Look for candies packaged in cardboard boxes or wrapped in aluminum foil such as Junior Mints, Milk Duds and Nerds. Many types of chocolate are individually wrapped in foil. When ordering any type of candy online, try to verify whether it is shipped in a box or some type of plastic packaging. There are many options for foil-wrapped candy, especially Halloween chocolates, available online through the Natural Candy Store website. Some of the chocolates sold through the website (e.g., chocolates made by Thompson) are also listed as being Fair Trade Certified, which means that they were made in a way that supports the livelihoods of the producers, their communities and the surrounding environment.
If you much prefer treats that are packaged in difficult-to-recycle mixed packaging, some of the packaging can be recycled through Terracycle; you just need to print a free shipping label, collect the items in a box and mail them in. A full list of companies with packaging that can be recycled can be found here.
Green Tip
During the next few weeks, try substituting one candy or snack that you typically purchase with one that is either unpackaged or comes in packaging other than plastic. For an extra challenge, look for snacks that are Fair Trade Certified and/or come in cardboard or paper packaging that is FSC-certified (i.e., certified by the Forest Stewardship Council that the trees or other plants used to make the packaging were sustainably grown and harvested).