How to provide bushes for nesting birds
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In the spring, birds choose the best locations to build nests, so why not offer them a safe place to settle?
If Halloween costumes and masks to copious amounts of plastic-wrapped treats is enough to scare you, check out our top tips for a plastic free Halloween!
Bring costumes back from the dead
It can be great fun dressing up as your favourite spooky character, but a recent survey found that Halloween costumes are often made up of 90% plastic. An incredible 7 million Halloween costumes are thrown away each year in the UK. But you can avoid this by:
- Making your own costume from old clothes or cardboard
- Costume swap with friends a family
- Rent a costume just for the night
Paint on a scary face
If you are looking for a waste-free costume, face paint is the perfect option! Choose a natural, non-toxic face paint that washes off at the end of the night. Transform into a ghastly ghost or a skeleton without the plastic waste.
Halloween costumes are often made up of 90% plastic.
Don't waste your pumpkin
Carving a pumpkin is a family friendly activity which screams Halloween. But what do you do with the leftovers? Sadly, a horrifying 8 million pumpkins will be thrown out after Halloween in the UK alone. How about using the leftovers to make a pumpkin pie or soup? Alternatively, roasted pumpkin seeds make a quick and easy snack!
Reusable treat containers
Upcycle a plastic tub, pillowcase or tote bag by decorating it with a spooky design. It will last for many years to come!
Home-baked treats
Instead of individual plastic-wrapped sweets, cook up some fudge or bake your own spooky cookies. Children will love decorating them!
Decorate
Get creative and make decorations that are recyclable! How about...
- Paper ghosts, bats and garlands
- Construct an autumnal Halloween wreath made from twigs and leaves
- Create autumn leaf lanterns using old jam jars and leaves
- Transform milk jugs into ghost lanterns
- Use brown string to create spider webs
More ways you can help wildlife
How to make a hedge for wildlife
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Hedges provide important shelter and protection for wildlife, particularly nesting birds and hibernating insects.
How to build a swift box
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Swifts like to leave their nests by dropping into the air from the entrance. This is why they often choose to set up camp in the eaves of buildings. If you have a wall that's at least five metres tall, with a clear flyway in front, then installing a swift…
Climate friendly gardening
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There are plenty of ways you can take action against climate change in your own backyard or local greenspace.
Watch what you wash away
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Some cosmetics, soaps, washing-up liquids and cleaning products can be harmful to wildlife with long-lasting effects.
How to make a seed bomb
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Plant wildflower with seed bombs!