Awesome Postconsumer Inspired Halloween Costumes

Halloween is one of our favorite times of year at Postconsumers (as you can probably tell by all of the Halloween memes and content around here). Part of the reason is that there are tons of fun ways to celebrate it that can be completely separated out from consumerism. Don’t get us wrong, we’ve seen the huge displays of plastic pumpkins in our local drug store, too. But we also think that Halloween is a great opportunity to get your party on while embracing reusable items. To get you inspired, we found these awesome postconsumer-inspired Halloween costumes.

The Recycling Monster

Sure, it’s that sweet Wonder Woman costume that stands out in this photo, but we’re posting it so that you can see what can be done with all of those plastic bags that have been sitting around waiting for you to dump them in the plastic bag recycling bin at your local grocery store (which is obviously what you’re going to do). Create a recycling monster costume from them before you do. Of course, this costume could just as easily be a costume of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but either explanation works.

Or…Plastic Bottle Recycle Man

Maybe what you have laying around your house isn’t a lot of plastic bags but it is a lot of plastic bottles. We understand – drinking water quality is pretty low and some of us don’t like drinking from the tap either. Yes, it takes a long time for a plastic bottle to biodegrade, but at least those bottles are recyclable. And if you want to remind people of the need to recycle them, this costume below is perfect.

Photo Credit: Ray_from_LA via Flickr

Go Literal. Dress as a Recycling Bin and a Trash Can.

Of course, if you really want to send a message, sometimes literal is better. Both of these costumes (the trash bag and the recycling bin) can be made with materials that you can later recycle. But wearing them gives you a chance to talk to people – or at least make them think – about what goes in which location. From the looks of the photo, it also seems as though there was a huge blue paper recycling bin in the mix, too!

Photo Credit: Gene Han via Flickr

The Postconsumer Stand-By: A Zombie Costume

You’ve probably heard us suggest this one before at one point or another, but one of the easiest ways to get done up for Halloween without creating waste or excess is to go as a zombie (and we’ve been pretty clear about how much we love the undead). All you’ll be doing is reusing clothes you already had and were about to get rid of because they were so beaten up and then adding some makeup to them. You can even make your own face paint or fake blood so you’re avoiding the consumer rush to buy those things in October. There are so many great zombie costumes out there that we could have used for this picture, but we think this one takes the prize.

Photo Credit: aeviin via Flickr

At The End of the Day, All You Need to Remember Is…

There are so many amazing Halloween costumes that you can create without having to buy very much (or even anything at all). And don’t forget that renting a Halloween costume is also a great option if you want to make sure that it gets the maximum value and use. While everybody needs to find their own place on the Postconsumer spectrum, Halloween is a great opportunity to participate in the fun without participating in the massive consumerism element. Also, it’s a fabulous time to eat lots of candy!

Did we miss a postconsumer costume idea that you’d like to share? Tell us about it on the social media channels below.