Environmental charity Clean Cornwall is urging buyers not to indulge in plastic purchases this Hallowe’en.  

Its new campaign, Boo To Plastic, aims to highlight the issue of over-consumption and producing unnecessary plastic waste, acknowledging both the responsibility of manufacturers and consumers to focus on sustainable alternatives. 

Clean Cornwall has been providing Cornwall with accessible litter picking services, environmental campaigns and free educational resources for more than 15 years.  

Surveys conducted by Fairyland Trust and Hubbub in 2019 revealed that 83 per cent of Halloween costumes sold online are made from oil-based plastics, which are rarely recycled. 

Previous research by Hubbub also revealed that seven million Halloween costumes are disposed of annually, and that over 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste is generated in the UK each year by Halloween costumes alone.  

Halloween decorations are equally at fault. The faux cobwebs sold at this time of year are most commonly made from polyester – an oil-based plastic.  

Clean Cornwall project coordinator Jade Jackson said: “We encourage communities to resist the temptation of cheap plastic junk; protect our environment and save your money for something that isn’t going straight in the bin on November 1.”