Hello!

Montauk loves Halloween, and our much-anticipated annual Halloween parade is one of the many traditions that make our community so special! As we enjoy this holiday of spooky fun and creative costumes, it’s also a great opportunity to think about how we can celebrate while being kinder to the environment.

In this special Halloween edition of our newsletter, we’re sharing simple ways to reduce waste without sacrificing any of the fun. From reusing costumes and creating eco-friendly decorations to learning where to drop off your pumpkins for composting and making more sustainable choices about treats, small changes can make a meaningful difference.

We’re also highlighting a local resource you may not know about: the Montauk Library’s plastic film recycling program, which helps give everyday plastics a second life.

Protecting Montauk’s environment starts with the choices we make every day, and even our favorite Halloween traditions offer opportunities to do better. We hope these tips inspire you to get creative, reduce waste, and enjoy a greener Halloween with family, friends, and neighbors.

Wishing you a happy, safe, and sustainably spirited Halloween!

With gratitude,

Kay Tyler | CCOM Executive Director

Finding a Halloween costume doesn't have to be scary for the environment, or your wallet!

The scary statistics: the U.S. population spends billions of dollars each year in Halloween costume purchases, yet millions of those costumes are thrown away each year. The National Retail Federation reported that there was over $4 billion spent on Halloween costumes in 2023. ($2 billion in adults, $1.4 billion in kids, and $700 million in pet costumes). Approximately 35+ million costumes are thrown away yearly in the US.

This is not simply a matter of money; it is a plastic and waste problem. A study in the U.K. found that 83% of the material in costumes sampled was oil-based plastic. Of that 83%, polyester was the most common, making up 69% of the total of all materials. These plastic costumes are likely to be worn only once and then end up in landfills. (The photo above depicts costumes made of synthetics and plastic, taken from a large Halloween costume company's website.)

However, you can make a choice to make your Halloween more sustainable.

Example of a DIY costume of Eleven from Stranger Things, taken from an online search.

Example of a DIY costume of 'party animals', taken from an online search.

What can you do? (listed from most environmentally impactful to least)

🔄 REUSE

Give your once single-use costume a second (and third and fourth) life! Instead of tossing out costumes every year, keep a storage box of past costumes. Each Halloween, you can "shop" in your living room's "Halloween store."

Reusing can mean adding new accessories to a pre-loved costume. Try mixing and matching characters or concepts, or transforming objects, like adding skeleton makeup with an old animal costume to make it spooky.

Here are a few examples of mixing and matching, found using a simple online search:

👕 SWAP and BORROW

Hand-me-downs = instant savings! Swap costumes with friends or look for organized Halloween costume swaps near you online. You can also post on social media, offering what you have and what you are looking for. Here is an example found using a simple online search:

🛒 BUY SECONDHAND

Budget-friendly and sustainable! Thrift stores like Savers, Goodwill and Salvation Army often put out costumes as early as late August.

You can also check online resources to assist you, like Goodwill, Trashmagination.com, THREDUP, and Facebook Marketplace.

Here is an example found using a simple online search:

✂️ DIY

DIY can be as simple as saying trick-or-treat! Cardboard, old fabric, pool noodles, plastic containers and tinfoil can become clever Halloween costumes. You don't need sewing skills either; using tape, staplers, glue, and even tying fabric together will work. Plus, it's a fun activity for kids and adults!

Cardboard is perfect for butterfly wings, dinosaurs, pizza slices, robots, or anything your imagination dreams up. Here are a few examples of cardboard creations found using a simple online search:

👻 SELL / DONATE

Selling your costumes on Facebook Marketplace or Nextdoor can ensure they will go to someone who will use it. Donating your costume can help others find their perfect Halloween attire, too.

Your jack-o-lanterns can help the next generation of plants grow!

Compost your pumpkins and gourds—free of paint, wax, glue, glitter, glass and plastic—locally:

Long Island Organics Initiative is launching an island-wide pumpkin drop-off effort, and Town of East Hampton is participating!

Drop off at East Hampton Town Hall Parking Lot, 159 Pantigo Road.

🎃Friday 11/13 @3pm through Sunday 11/15 @6pm

Town of East Hampton Recycling Center

260 Springs Fireplace Rd, East Hampton, NY 11937

🎃Compost open 7 days a week during daylight hours, year-round

Montauk Community Garden

Corner of S Etna Ave & S Edison, Montauk, NY 11954

🎃Compost open Saturdays 10am-noon, May 24 through fall

Amber Waves Amagansett

367 Main St

Amagansett, NY 11930

🎃Compost open Wednesdays 8-11am, May 21 through fall

Unpainted, wax-free, mold-free pumpkins can also be donated to participating local farms for livestock feed. Last, try to buy locally grown pumpkins!

Costumes are not the only culprit. Decorations, candy wrappers and costume accessories are single-use items, which also end up as waste in landfills.

✂️ DIY DECORATIONS

• Cut out bats from black paper and hang them on string
• Cut out hands from black or red paper and tape them to your windows
• Cut up old or thrifted white bed sheets to create cobwebs or a mummy
• Ghosts can be made of a tall lamp, old or thrifted bed sheets, and markers
• Buy air-dry clay to make heads: skeleton, Frankenstein, zombie, etc. Paper-based, non-synthetic, biodegradable brands include DAS Air-Hardening Clay, Creative Paperclay and ACTIVA Paper Mache.

Example on the right of how to cut out paper bats, found using a simple online search:

🔄 REUSE DECORATIONS

Reuse your Halloween decorations each year! Keep them in a box so they stay protected during the year. Consider buying decorations that can match with any Halloween party or theme, to get more use out of them.

Example on the right of pipe cleaner spider decoration that can be reused year after year:

🕸️🐦‍⬛ ONLY USE FAKE COBWEBS INDOORS

According to the National Audubon Society, fake cobwebs pose the biggest threat to birds during Halloween. The gauzy webs made with synthetic polyester become a trap for small birds, bats, and reptiles, and can cause toxin build-up and injuries from restricted blood flow.

The best thing to do is to only hang spider webs INSIDE. If you must have them outside, swap for a home-made web made of thicker rope with wide gaps, and check twice a day for accidental catches. Don't hang webs across bird habitats like shrubs or trees, or where birds are likely to fly. Even wall-flush webs can ensnare a bird.

If you see a critter stuck in a web, don’t just untangle and release them, as lethal entanglement injuries aren’t always obvious. Cut the web around the critter and bring it in a bag or box to the closest animal care center for evaluation.

Responsible disposal is important, too! If not properly disposed of, birds might use the material to build their nests. This could mean the webbing could catch and trap any chicks in the nest.

November 7th is Montauk S.T.O.P. Day! Dispose of your hazardous household waste safely and protect the planet from toxic contaminants.

Montauk Transfer Station

365 Montauk Hwy, Montauk, NY 11954

9am - 2pm

November 17th, 2026

12:30pm-1:30pm

Join CCOM, Biddle Duke (journalist and community organizer) and Tony Piazza (founder of Piazza Horticultural, a Southampton-based landscape design firm specializing in environmentally conscious property maintenance) in a conversation about creating an ecologically responsible garden with native plants and working through the challenges with real-world expertise you can use in your own gardens and landscapes.

Registration and more information will be released via CCOM's social media (@preservemontauk) and an upcoming standalone email.

In case you missed it, the Montauk Library has plastic recycling! As you enter, to the left are bins to drop off your plastic bags, bubble wrap, film and liners.

Montauk Library

871 Montauk Hwy, Montauk, NY 11954

Phone: (631) 668-3377
Hours: Mon, Tues, Thur & Sat: 9a-6p; Wed & Fri 9a-8p; Sun: 1p-6p

Link: https://montauklibrary.org/

Accepted Items:

More accepted items can found here (there are many!) This recycling is through NexTrex. They recycle the plastic into outdoor furniture. Learn more here.

Wondering what the deal is with PFAS? We have what you need to know.

CCOM water testing results revealed elevated Enterococcus bacteria levels across many of our sites during our first testing of the month. During the second testing of the month, levels were lower. Recreational ocean and bay beach sites all showed safe levels.

Above: Water quality results from October 26th, 2026

• Week of October 5: High bacteria levels detected at South Beach, Fresh Pond, Three Mile Harbor and Accabonac Harbor.
• Week of October 26: High levels detected at only 3 sites.

Stay updated: For the months of September to May, CCOM will follow a bi-weekly or monthly testing schedule. On Tuesday afternoons after testing, CCOM's detailed reports of water testing and HABs results will be available on our website and Instagram/Facebook.

Many thanks to our dedicated volunteers, interns and partners for supporting year-round sampling.