Residents should incorporate sustainable fashion for Halloween by thrifting or re-wearing costumes to prevent excess waste and environmental damage, according to an Oct. 17 press release from the city of Austin.
According to a 2018 analysis from the Environmental Protection Agency on material waste 11.3 million tons of textile waste went to landfills while only 2.5 million tons were recycled. The City said Halloween lovers often end up with dozens of costumes collected over years, many of which are worn only once. Microplastics and synthetic fibers found in fast-fashion Halloween costumes make them difficult to recycle, according to the New York Times.
Environmental science senior Christo Simov, an integration intern at the Plastic Reduction Project which aims to reduce plastic waste, said reusing costumes reduces textile waste and water consumption. He said people can use clothes multiple times to lessen the impact, especially college students who may use multiple costumes in one weekend.
“(Textile production) is very labor and resource intensive at the start of its life cycle, and then it’s just a tremendous waste for us to throw (a piece of clothing) away and find its way into landfills,” Simov said. “What’s worse is once it’s in landfills, it begins to decompose and creates even more issues with a variety of greenhouse gasses.”
Business freshman Avery Crowley said online retailers that are often criticized for textile waste, such as Shein, offer an easy way to purchase costumes and have something new for every occasion.
“It’s cheap and they get it delivered to you in a relatively quick time period,” Crowley said. “There are a lot of options, sizes, lots of different colors and a wide variety of clothing.”
However, Crowley said those retailers often do not offer quality, long-lasting products, so most of those outfits are discarded quickly.
“The quality is not nearly up to par,” Crowley said. “It’s one of the reasons that I’ve stopped shopping there because I’ve realized that if I want things to last longer and be a nice material or nice fabric, then I’m not going to get (it there).”
Simov said there are plenty of budget-friendly and sustainable options for college students doing their Halloween shopping.
“Thrift costumes, rather than buying them as single use and firsthand,” Simov said. “Another option would be to swap costumes with your friends, since for most people, Halloween is not going to be just one single time going out.”
Pop-up thrift stores also offer students quality products, Simov said. He said he goes to the weekly thrift market in front of Pavement on 29th and Guadalupe streets almost every Sunday.
“There’s a noticeable difference when it comes to these older clothes,” Simov said. “They last until people resell them, as compared to a lot of the single-use stuff found (online).”
