Halloween Hiding

Safe and happy Halloween Earth Rangers!

This is the perfect day to be spooky, scary, AND TOTALLY GOOEY!

Some of you might decide to go out trick-or-treating, some of you might stay home watching scary movies, some might play spooky games, and some of you… might not celebrate Halloween at all?

Trick…or treat?

The origins of Halloween go back more than 2,000 years, to the Celtic New Year’s Day of Samhain, when it was believed that spirits walked with the living. There was no trick-or-treating back then. So when did that start?

There are two possibilities: the 16th century British All Souls’ Day, or the German Christmas custom of Belsnickling from the 18th and 19th century. The candy-based celebration came after World War II, much later in the 20th century.

Today, you can see Halloween costumes and candy in stores before it’s even October. With so much candy, some might decide to enjoy tasty treats before October 31st!

But what happens after Halloween is over? Where do all the candy and old pumpkins go?

Why not compost it?

Tired of all the sweets? Got sore teeth after Halloween? Don’t have any place to donate the leftovers? Along with pumpkins, Halloween candy can be composted.

BUT WAIT!

Don’t throw everything into your compost bins. Worms love pumpkins, and microorganisms will use the sugar in the candies to break down green and brown matter faster…but let’s not forget, so do other animals! This food isn’t good for mice or rats, even though they will certainly want to eat it. You need to be sure your compost bin is well-built before throwing candy out.

Can you SPOT THE FAKE?

Now that you know that there are a lot of tricky things that don’t belong in a compost bin, see if you can spot the fakes: the items that do NOT belong in the green bin!

Click on the items you think are the fakes!

Beware of hidden plastic!

Now that you know what candies to watch out for, let’s remember one special icky gooey sweet that can’t be composted: chewing gum!

If you receive any gum for Halloween, it must be thrown out in the garbage. Chewing gum and bubble gum are made with synthetic rubbers, plastic, and wax that are not compostable.

Gross Out!

Composting is an important part of helping the planet. But it can get gross. Vermicomposting brings some extra friends to help: worms! Together with your worm friends, composted material can be turned into organic soil for plants. Halloween is the perfect gross and gooey celebration to go into the compost.

Before throwing your food into your green bin, remember to do the following:

• Double-check that your compost bin is secure
• Crush hard candy into smaller pieces
• Remove all plastic packaging
• Throw all chewing gum in the trash.

Worms, like you, get full. So consider composting your candy in moderation over a long period.

Why not assemble a squirmy squad while you do it? Once you compost your Halloween leftovers, be sure to log your habit in the app. And join the Gross Out challenge now!

What did you do for Halloween? Did you go trick-or-treating? What will you compost?  Let us know in the comments below!