Spooky season is in full swing, but if you’re thinking about buying that easy af witch costume from Amazon this year close that tab, walk away from the computer, and think again. 

An investigation, by environmentalist charity Hubbub, found that an estimated 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste is expected to be generated this Halloween from throwaway costumes – the equivalent of 83m bottles. 

Working with Fairyland Trust, a family nature charity, an investigation of costumes available from 19 supermarkets and retailers – including ASOS, Amazon, John Lewis, and Tesco – found that 83 per cent of the material used was polluting oil-based plastic likely to end up in a landfill.

Halloween is becoming an ever-more popular holiday, with 30 million people in the UK opting to dress up. More than 90 per cent of families will consider buying costumes, according to research completed by the charity, but seven million of those costumes will get thrown out each year, with only a small number getting recycled. 

As reported by the The Guardian, Chris Rose of the Fairyland Trust explained: “the scariest thing about Halloween now is plastic.” With its growing popularity, he says “consumers can take action to avoid buying new plastic and still dress up for Halloween by buying from charity shops or re-using costumes, or making their own from non-plastic materials.” Challenge accepted.