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 North Texas wants to educate parents and children on how 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 Greta Calvery, Community Relations Manager of North Texas. “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, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery and disposal services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers throughout North America. For additional information about this article, please contact Greta J Calvery at GCalvery@wm.com. All comments are the sole responsibility of the writer.

This article was originally posted 10/30/07.