10 Eco-Friendly Halloween Decorations You Can DIY (2026) 🎃🌿

Updated for Halloween 2026

The easiest eco-friendly Halloween decorations are made from things you already have: tin can lanterns, newspaper bats, old-sheet ghosts, cardboard tombstones, jam-jar apothecary bottles and bats cut from an old bike inner tube. Use LED tealights instead of candles, skip anything plastic or single-use, and eat or compost your pumpkins afterwards.

Halloween is all about embracing the spooky spirit, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice sustainability! This year’s biggest looks — witchy apothecary shelves, nature-inspired neutrals and pink-and-black “Pink-o-ween” — are all easy to create from upcycled and natural materials. Here are 10 eco-friendly decoration ideas you can easily make at home, plus costume, treat and party tips further down:

1. Upcycled Tin Can Lanterns 🕯️

Transform empty tin cans into eerie lanterns for your porch or windows. Simply clean out a few cans, punch small holes in spooky patterns (think bats, pumpkins, or spiderwebs), and pop in an LED tealight. When lit, these lanterns cast eerie shadows and give off an atmospheric glow — and LED lights are safer around costumes, curtains and curious pets than real flames.

Materials Needed:

• Empty tin cans
• Hammer and nail (or a sturdy awl)
• Black paint (optional)
• LED tealights (rechargeable if possible)

Instructions:

1. Clean out your cans thoroughly and remove the labels.
2. Fill the can with water and freeze it overnight — the ice stops the can denting when you punch the holes.
3. Draw your chosen pattern with a marker or use a stencil, then carefully punch holes along your design using a hammer and nail.
4. Paint the cans black or orange for a classic Halloween look, or leave them silver for a rustic vibe.
5. Once dry, place your light inside and watch the spooky silhouettes come to life!

2. Recycled Paper Bats & Ghosts 🦇👻

Save old newspapers, magazines, or scrap paper from going to waste by turning them into spooky hanging bats or ghost decorations. Hang them around your home or in the garden for an eerie touch.

Materials Needed:

• Old newspapers, magazines, or scrap paper
• Black paint (or use black paper if you have it)
• String or thread
• Scissors

Instructions:

1. Draw bat shapes or ghost figures on your paper and cut them out.
2. Paint them black for bats, or leave them white for ghosts.
3. Punch a small hole at the top and loop a piece of string through.
4. Hang them from your ceiling, tree branches, or anywhere needing a touch of spookiness!

3. Nature-Inspired Pumpkin Alternatives 🍂🍎

Instead of buying plastic pumpkins, go for natural and edible alternatives — perfect for 2026’s nature-inspired neutral look. Collect fallen autumn leaves, acorns and pinecones, and create a centrepiece using apples and oranges. You can even carve designs into these fruits for a unique take on traditional Jack-o’-lanterns.

Materials Needed:

• Fallen leaves, acorns, and pinecones
• Apples, oranges, or any other sturdy fruit
• A small knife for carving (if you want to add designs)

Instructions:

1. Arrange the leaves and acorns around a bowl or table to create a natural autumnal scene.
2. If using fruits, carve simple designs into the apples or oranges, or leave them whole for a charming harvest look.
3. Once Halloween is over, the leaves and fruits can be composted – zero waste achieved!

4. Old Sheet Ghosts 👻

Got some old white sheets lying around? Turn them into friendly (or frightening) ghosts! All you need is a few old bedsheets, some string, and markers to bring them to life.

Materials Needed:

• Old white sheets or fabric scraps
• Black marker
• String or thread

Instructions:

1. Cut your sheet into smaller pieces, depending on the size of your ghosts.
2. Draw on eyes and a spooky mouth with a black marker.
3. Hang them around your garden or front door using string. They’ll float and wave in the breeze, adding a spooky charm to your decorations.

5. DIY Cardboard Tombstones ⚰️

Instead of buying plastic or foam tombstones, upcycle old cardboard boxes to create your own graveyard scene. Paint them grey, dry-brush black around the edges for an aged look, draw on funny or creepy epitaphs, and stake them into the ground.

Materials Needed:

• Old cardboard boxes
• Grey and black paint
• A sturdy knife or scissors
• Wooden stakes (or small garden sticks)

Instructions:

1. Cut out tombstone shapes from your cardboard.
2. Paint them grey and let them dry.
3. Write on spooky messages with black paint or marker.
4. Attach wooden stakes to the back and stick them into your garden or planters. Bring them in if rain is forecast so they last for next year.

6. Inner Tube Bats & Spiders 🦇🚲

This is the Paguro way to do Halloween. A punctured bike inner tube is already black, bendy and weatherproof — perfect for bats and spiders that survive the garden, the rain and years of reuse. Most bike repair shops are happy to give away old tubes for free.

Materials Needed:

• An old bike inner tube (ask your local bike shop)
• Sharp scissors
• Warm soapy water and a cloth
• String, or a hole punch and a split pin for bat wings

Instructions:

1. Cut the valve out and slice the tube open lengthways so it lies flat. Wash off the dust with warm soapy water.
2. Draw bat shapes on the inside with chalk and cut them out. For spiders, cut eight thin strips for legs and a small circle for the body.
3. Bend the bat wings slightly so they look mid-flight, then hang them from string in porches, trees or windows.
4. After Halloween, wipe them down and store them flat for next year.

Love the look of rubber? Our artisans turn the same material into bags, wallets and jewellery — see our recycled inner tube collection.

7. Witchy Apothecary Jars 🧹🌿

Witchcore is one of 2026’s biggest Halloween looks, and it’s made for upcycling. Save jam jars, sauce bottles and spice pots, and turn them into a mysterious apothecary shelf with old books, moss and dried herbs.

1. Soak off the labels and fill jars with dried herbs, conkers, acorns, pine cones or dried orange slices.
2. Make labels from brown paper or old envelopes — “Bat Wings”, “Newt Eyes”, “Moon Dust” — and tie them on with garden twine.
3. Group them on a shelf with second-hand books and an LED tealight for a spooky glow.
4. Afterwards, the herbs go back in the kitchen and the jars go back in the cupboard.

8. Pink-o-ween Pumpkins (Without the Paint) 🎀🎃

Pink-and-black is the playful colour trend of 2026. Instead of painting pumpkins (which means they can’t be eaten or composted), dress them up with fabric offcuts, old ribbon and scrap-paper cut-outs in dusty pink and black. Tie a ribbon bow round the stalk, pin on paper bats, or stand them on a scarf you already own. When Halloween is over, simply untie everything and cook the pumpkin.

9. Cereal Box Window Silhouettes 🪟

Flatten cereal boxes, paint the plain side black, and cut out cats, witches, bats and haunted houses. Stick them inside your windows with a little washi tape and put an LED light behind them — from the street, your house glows with spooky shadows. They pack flat for next year, and the card is recyclable when you’re done.

10. A Zero-Waste Pumpkin 🥧

Millions of carved pumpkins end up in UK bins every November. Make yours the exception: buy an eating variety, scoop the flesh into soup or pie, roast the seeds with a little salt and paprika, and compost what’s left — or leave it in the garden for wildlife. Pick a pumpkin that’s good to eat, not just to carve, and nothing goes to waste.

More Eco Halloween Ideas: Costumes, Treats & Parties

Upcycled costumes 👻

Shop-bought costumes are usually plastic and worn once. Raid your wardrobe or the local charity shop first: an old suit jacket makes a zombie businessman, a bedsheet makes an instant ghost, and cardboard and paint make masks, crowns and cuffs.

Plastic-free treats 🍬

Bake spooky biscuits or popcorn balls and wrap them in paper or fabric, or choose sweets wrapped in paper and foil rather than plastic.

Greener trick-or-treating 🦇

Skip the plastic pumpkin bucket and use a tote bag or pillowcase you already own. A sturdy upcycled tote survives every Halloween and does the food shop the rest of the year. Stay local and walk, rather than driving between streets.

Low-waste Halloween parties 🎉

• Ditch the disposables: use real plates and glasses, or pick up a mismatched set from a charity shop.
• Host a costume swap: everyone brings an old costume and leaves with a new-to-them one.
• Compostable decorations: garlands of dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks and leaves look great and go straight in the compost afterwards.

Eco-Friendly Halloween: Quick Answers

How can I make Halloween more eco-friendly?

Make decorations from things you already have (tins, jars, cardboard, old sheets, inner tubes), choose LED lights over candles, avoid single-use plastic and glitter, upcycle your costume, and eat or compost your pumpkin.

What can I do with my pumpkin after Halloween?

Cook the flesh into soup or pie, roast the seeds as a snack, and compost the skin. If it’s carved, it’s best eaten within a day or two.

Can I reuse my Halloween decorations?

Yes. Inner tube bats, tin can lanterns, cardboard tombstones and cereal box silhouettes all store flat and last for years.

How do I make an eco-friendly Halloween costume?

Start with clothes you already own or charity-shop finds, add cardboard or fabric-scrap details, and swap costumes with friends afterwards instead of buying new.

By opting for these eco-friendly decorations, you’re not only saving money but also helping to reduce waste and be kinder to the planet this Halloween. At Paguro, we believe that with a little creativity, you can celebrate sustainably without compromising on the fun! 🎃🌱 For more inspiration, try our 101 upcycling ideas.

Have you got any sustainable Halloween ideas of your own? We’d love to see them! Tag us @paguroupcycle and show off your spooky, eco-friendly creations. Happy Haunting! 👻