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Waste Management Puts a Little Green in Your Halloween

Tricks to Make Your Halloween Safe and Eco-Friendly

This year, Halloween doesn’t have to be only orange and black – with a little creativity; you can add a touch of green to the eerie holiday. Traditionally, Halloween is a holiday that conjures up spooky spells and tall tales. It’s when the children trick and treat to their heart’s content. But kids and parents can do things this Halloween to help enrich their community and environment.

Waste Management of the Golden Triangle wants to educate parents and children on how to make this Halloween a green Halloween. As many children get ready to put the fright in everyone, both parents and their kids can work together to have fun and create some cool projects.

“We encourage the community to be eco-friendly at every occasion and holiday,” said Mike Wilson, district manager for Waste Management of the Golden Triangle. “We ask parents and children to recycle materials to save money and create less waste in our landfills.”

Here a few tips to put a little green in your Halloween:

• Reuse and recycle old costumes. As your children dress up as their favorite cartoon characters, princesses and scary monsters, the price of costumes can be costly, but does not have to be. About.com suggests that you can get bargains and inexpensive costumes from thrift stores and yard sales. These sources are cheap and kids can create their costumes without ruining their own clothing. Parents can reuse and recycle their clothes and tailor them into costumes for their kids.

• Pumpkins are a holiday favorite. The problem is what to do with them after they scare the neighborhood. They can be messy, but they can be recycled. Recycle Now says when making jack-o-lanterns, put the seeds and pulp a compost bin or pile. After Halloween is over, the shell can be tossed in the bin, too. Composting is the controlled decomposition of biodegradable organic matter, producing compost, which is one of nature's best mulches that can be used instead of commercial fertilizers. Roasted pumpkin seeds are also tasty, and the meat of the pumpkin can make a delicious pie or tasty muffins.

• Trick or treating also can be green. You can walk instead of driving your car. You can use reusable bags instead of plastic disposable bags. Use rechargeable batteries for flashlights or candles to use on those dark roads. Every kid loves candy. Conscientious consumers can find an increasing variety of eco-friendly candy from organic chocolate to organic lollipops online and from local organic groceries and health food stores. Organic candies can satisfy a sweet tooth without compromising health, and they are produced using methods that don’t damage the environment.

Waste Management knows that the safety of our community is imperative and with Halloween approaching, we would like to stress the importance of staying alert during this time of year. Instances of auto accidents involving impaired or distracted drivers are on the rise. With families trick-or-treating during Halloween and spending more time on the roadways, Waste Management would like to encourage the public to have a higher sense of caution and avoid distractions while driving, such as cellphone use and texting, to ensure a safe Halloween and upcoming holiday season.

About Waste Management of the Golden Triangle

Waste Management is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America, providing collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. Waste Management and our employees are committed to enhancing the communities we serve by providing the highest levels of service and acting as stewards of the environment by sponsoring many local and regional programs, such as Keep Beaumont Beautiful. We proudly employ approximately 75 employees in the Golden Triangle and 45,000 employees nationwide. For more information about Waste Management visit: http://www.wm.com or http://www.ThinkGreen.com.