Ireland’s frightening Halloween habit is a curse that can be broken by sustainable choices

Nature’s décor is unbeatable: fallen leaves, pinecones, bare branches, and candlelight (ideally in a glass jar rather than a plastic skull). They’re biodegradable, beautiful, and cost nothing

Dr Michelle McKeown: "Roughly 40% of Irish households now buy pumpkins every October, and most buy more than one, according to Global Action Plan Ireland (an environmental NGO). Yet 60% of those pumpkins never get eaten."

It's that time of year when we encourage young children to knock on strangers’ doors demanding sugar, supermarkets to pretend pumpkins are native to Ireland, and adults dress like the latest pop culture phenomenon (those green cloaks from The Traitors are everywhere this year).

But behind the fake blood, coloured hairspray, and polyester cloaks lurks a genuinely terrifying monster. Waste.