Every October, the shelves groan under the weight of orange plastic, glitter-coated cobwebs, and polyester costumes that last a single night. In fact, around 7 million costumes are thrown away each year in the UK, most of them made from plastics that stick around for centuries.
For many businesses, Halloween is another excuse to slap on a seasonal label and shout “limited edition” louder than the neighbour’s inflatable skeleton.
We’re not doing that.
At Nothing Butt, we believe less is more. That doesn’t mean less joy, less celebration, or less fun...it means stripping back the noise so what remains actually matters. And if you look at where Halloween really comes from, that’s exactly the spirit of the season.
The History of Halloween in Scotland and the UK
Long before shop aisles turned orange, this time of year was Samhain - the Celtic festival that marked the turning of the seasons. It was the end of the harvest and the start of winter, a moment to pause before the dark months ahead.
In Scotland and Ireland, Samhain was a liminal time, when the veil between worlds was said to be thinnest. Fires were lit to ward off evil. People dressed in disguises - guising - not to post on Instagram, but to confuse wandering spirits. Turnips (not pumpkins) were carved with faces to keep mischief at bay. Families gathered, told stories, and played games to divine the future: bobbing for apples, pulling kale stalks, or watching how hazelnuts burned.
It was never about consuming more.
It was about remembering where you stood in the cycle of seasons, connecting with ancestors, and sharing simple rituals with community.
Why Disposable Halloween Decorations Are a Problem
Fast forward to now:
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2,000 tonnes of plastic waste comes from costumes alone.
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46 million Halloween-themed items are discarded after a single use.
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22 million pumpkins were wasted in 2022, worth around £32 million in edible food.
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3,000 tonnes of sweet wrappers pile up, destined for landfill.
The celebration hasn’t disappeared - but the meaning has been buried under a mountain of stuff. Halloween has shifted from seasonal reflection to single-use waste.
Our Halloween “Special”
So here’s our Halloween marketing plan: nothing special.
No spooky logos. No pumpkin-spice loo roll. No gimmicks. We make bamboo toilet paper that’s soft, strong, and sustainable - and it’s the same product whether the calendar says October or April.
If you want to celebrate, we think the old ways had it right:
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Light a candle, share a meal, carve a neep (if you’ve got the patience).
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Tell stories, play games, connect with your people.
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Remember that what lasts is not the plastic cobweb on your fence, but the feeling of togetherness in the dark months ahead.
And if you do feel tempted to play a Halloween trick and “TP” someone’s house… please, for the love of the planet, choose bamboo.
How to Celebrate Halloween More Sustainably
Halloween once reminded people to prepare for winter, honour their roots, and embrace the turning of the year. We like that idea.
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Choosing reusable decorations helps chip away at those 46 million single-use items.
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Cooking and eating your pumpkin reduces the 18,000 tonnes wasted every year.
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Costume swaps and second-hand finds cut down on the 7 million outfits binned after one night.
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Buying in bulk or choosing paper-wrapped treats helps tackle the 3,000 tonnes of sweet wrapper waste.
These are small shifts, but when multiplied, they change the story of Halloween.
Less plastic. Less noise. More meaning.
That’s not a trick ... it’s the change we’re here to make.
Statistics in this article are drawn from reports and research by WasteManaged, Fairyland Trust, Bywaters, Places for People, WasteDirect, The Times, and NUS Connect.
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