Inside Environment

Making pumpkin soup can help pacify evil Halloween spirits, writes Ilona Amos

So tonight is Halloween, a celebration that can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, or summer’s end, which marked the beginning of cold, dark winter and symbolised the boundary between the living and the dead.

Nowadays, however, it’s just another traditional custom that has been hijacked by modern consumerism. Where once it was enough to dress up in your parents’ old clothes, nowadays it’s all about readymade disguises and all manner of “trick-ortreating” accoutrements. And it’s having a truly frightening impact on the planet.

Figures suggest around seven million costumes get binned across the UK each year, many of which end up in landfill. They’re sometimes worn just once before being dumped, costing Brits £510 million a year and adding to the mountain of waste ending up in the environment.

That’s on top of the 1.8 million pumpkins we take home to fashion into ghoulish lanterns in an effort to ward off evil spirits. Most of these also end up binned afterwards, with only around three in every ten getting eaten.

I’m the first to admit it’s hard to find time in our busy lives, but the most eco-friendly option is to cobble together an outfit from stuff you have lying around, rather than opting for the mass-produced synthetic get-up on offer in supermarkets. In my day, lanterns were made from turnips, a process that left wrists strained and cutlery in a condition Uri Geller would be proud of. But whether pumpkin or neep, a bit of creative cookery should pacify any evil spirits – and make a hearty bowl of soup that is hard to beat.

So now Halloween is sorted, let’s look ahead to Bonfire Night on Sunday. Once again, it’s important not to forget how our fun can affect nature. Whether you’re planning to stage your own fire or going along to a community event, there are a few steps you can take to stop your eco-credentials going up in smoke.

Always try to build your pyre on the day of burning to lower the risk of wildlife setting up home in it. Hedgehogs in particular are looking for cosy places to hibernate at this time of year, but frogs, toads and newts are also at risk.

Amphibians can be lured away by creating wee piles of leaves and logs as alternative shelter. Any hibernating hedgehogs should be carefully put in a box with leaves or shredded paper, water and meaty cat or dog food, then moved to a quiet place until the fireworks are over and the bonfire damped down.

If you’ve already made your bonfire, move it on the night to a clear area. This should allow any animals that have moved in to escape and avoid unwitting cremation. Always give a final check before putting a match to it – use a broom handle to lift it section by section, shine a torch in and look – and listen – for wildlife.

Think carefully about the effects of fireworks on animals, both wild and domestic. Mike Flynn, chief superintendent of the Scottish SPCA, says creatures have come to serious harm and even died after fireworks were set off near them. Animals will panic and flee at the sound of bangs, which can lead to accidents, while farm animals have been known to abort unborn young soon after fireworks displays.

It goes without saying you need to make sure the fire is out or safe before leaving it. A large one will produce a pile of ash that could be hot for days afterwards.

And don’t forget to clear up once the display has finished – dead fireworks, cans, bottles and spent glow-sticks just add to the litter problem and can harm wildlife and the environment.