Decorating the house for Halloween, dressing up and carving pumpkins can be great fun at this time of year. However, it's worth taking a moment to consider the collective impact all of this can have on the environment. Did you know that 18,000 tonnes of edible pumpkin waste is produced over Halloween, with only a third of people cooking what is left over?

Here are some top tips and suggestions for having a great (socially distanced!) time this Halloween, whilst being a little kinder to the planet.

Use your pumpkin leftovers in a pumpkin pie or soup

Shocked by the pumpkin fact above? While you might just see pumpkins as a spooky decoration, they can actually make a great pie or soup! Here's a BBC Good Food recipe to get you started. 

Make a bird feeder out of your pumpkin

Instead of throwing away your carved pumpkin after Halloween, why not turn it into a birdfeeder? This is a lovely way to help the wildlife in your garden, and also provides a second crafty activity! 

Take the lid off your pumpkin, insert some sticks as perches, fill it with bird seed and hang it from a tree until it starts to rot. The Woodland Trust have provided a great guide. 

Make your decorations using recycled materials

Rather than buying plastic decorations from the shops, have a go at making them yourself out of materials you have at home. Decorate old jam jars or milk bottles with paint or paper, and put twinkly lights inside for a personalised spooky effect. 

Create your own witches' broom

A witches' broom is the ultimate Halloween prop to play with! Get the children involved in making one with twigs and sticks from your garden or local walk, and pull them all together with string. A fun activity in itself, and more eco-friendly than a plastic one!

  Credit - Bee Felten-Leidel (Unplash)

Head out on a Halloween walk

If you're looking for a socially distanced activity to celebrate in Halloween style, why not head out on an evening walk? The darker evenings mean candle or torch lights effortlessly provide a spooky atmosphere, perfect for scary stories! 

For a day time activity, try Wimbleball Lake's pumpkin trail! Don your scariest costume and see if you can find all eight pumpkins scattered around the lake, whilst learning something new at each one. Enjoy the fresh air and fiery colours of autumn along the way.

  Credit - Maciej Rusek (Unsplash)

#ItsYourOutdoors - come and explore!