This time of year, many of us are tempted to adorn our homes with all sorts of scary, silly, and adorable Halloween-themed decorations. But many of these faux-cobwebs, window-cling bats, and ghostly garlands aren’t exactly the most environmentally friendly. Many of these decorations will eventually find their way into the landfill—or, depending on the timing of the year’s first flush, washed down into our waterways — which is much more of a “trick” than a “treat.”

But you can turn your house into a veritable haunted house while still sticking true to your eco-values. We have some do-it-yourself Halloween decorating tips to help you embrace this spooky season while avoiding the very real horrors of water pollution.

Pumpkin Pleasures and Tasty Treasures

The Odder The Better – Long gone are the days when the only Halloween pumpkin available at the local patch was a big, bright orange Charlie Brown pumpkin. These days, it seems as though the odder the gourd, the better. One can find two-toned misshapen squash, silvery-green gourds covered in warts and white ghost pumpkins in all shapes and sizes. A decorative grouping of these ghoulish gourds at your front door are sure to add a kaleidoscope of autumnal color to your neighborhood. 

Good Goo – Once your little goblins are done carving up their pumpkins, don’t let those gloppy insides go to waste. The stringy “pumpkin goo” can head straight into your compost bin, where it will break down into nutrient-rich soil for your garden. 

A Tasty Treat – And what about those pumpkin seeds? They’ll become a nutritious nibble in just a few quick steps. Sort the seeds out from the pumpkin goo and give them a quick rinse. Toss them with a bit of olive oil and salt and roast them in the oven (a single layer of seeds on a cookie sheet should roast in 15-20 minutes in a 400 degree oven). Those tasty pepitas make for a zero-waste snack that is as crunchily satisfying as it is sustainable.

Fall – Haul It Inside

While Los Angeles isn’t known for its fabulous fall foliage like New England, a quick scavenger hunt around your neighborhood or on a local hiking path may yield quite a few surprising bits of autumn that can create some eco-friendly fall decor inside your home.

Classic Autumn Decor – Pine cones and bright autumn leaves are a classic for a reason. They provide an effortlessly rustic touch, bringing the outdoors indoors. Every neighborhood has a few pine trees under which one can find pine cones and as the leaves begin turning here in LA, one can always find a few brightly-colored orange, burgundy or yellow leaves on the ground. Scatter those pine cones and autumn leaves on your mantel or in the center of your dining room table for an instant autumn feel.

The Witch Is In – When you’re on a walk or a hike, pay special attention to the branches and twigs on the ground. Gather up a long branch and a few scraggly twigs. Once home, tie those spindly twigs to one end of the stick with a piece of string and you’ve got a perfectly wicked broomstick that can be propped up at your front door and will let visitors know that the witch is in.

Autumnal Arrangements – It’s time to channel your inner Morticia and fall in love with dead flowers. Dry out a few bunches of flowers and place them around the house for some frightful florals. Alternatively, create an arrangement of bright orange and yellow Marigolds, chrysanthemums and baby breath in your home for Día de los Muertos, which takes place annually on November 1. 

Gala Garland – Making your own garland is a delightful—and surprisingly simple—holiday decorating technique. When you create a garland with brightly colored Gala apples and rolled cinnamon sticks, you’ll create an autumnal decoration that smells as beautiful as it looks! Pop thin, horizontally-cut slices of apples into a dehydrator or your oven on a lined baking sheet. If using your oven as a makeshift dehydrator, the keywords are “low” and “long”. Keep your oven on a low heat (200 degrees) for a long time (around three hours.) Once the apples are dried (and cooled!), you can use a toothpick to poke holes in the slices and guide through strands of string. Alternate the cinnamon sticks and apple slices and then hang it up in your kitchen to create that cinnamon-y, apple-y autumn scent that we all love!

However you plan to celebrate this spooky season, remember to embrace these longer evenings, (somewhat) cooler days, and the playfully creepy atmosphere. While we won’t go so far as to suggest you take credit for your neighborhood Orb weaver spiders’ well-crafted webs as your own decor, why not also take this opportunity to look for the beautifully macabre moments hidden in the corners of your own backyard? Dead leaves and bare tree branches remind us that the seasons are cyclical, and each season’s shift has a lesson to teach us about how to live harmoniously with the environment around us. 
Have you come up with a brilliant, eco-friendly Halloween decorating tip of your own? We’d love to hear about it! Drop us a line at lastormwater@lacity.org and we might feature your tip in a future social media post.