Last Updated October 16, 2021

Americans purchase nearly 600 million pounds of candy a year for Halloween! That is A LOT of plastic candy wrapper! To help combat some of that plastic waste, here are 4 options for plastic-free Halloween candy.

Boxed Candy

There are many types of candies that come in paper boxes. The most classic being M&M’s in a theater box. Think about the variety of candies that are available at the movie theater. Make sure you give the box a shake to make sure there’s no plastic bag inside. If you stick to the hard coated candies instead of the gummies, there’s less of a chance the box will have a plastic bag.

If you don’t want to go with the movie theater option, you can still choose the mini boxed candies option that come in a large plastic bag. Although this option isn’t 100% plastic-free, it’s better than individually plastic-wrapped candies! Some mini-sized boxes include Jr. Mints, Milk Duds, and Dots.

Foil-Wrapped Candy

Foil-wrapped candy is another option for trick-or-treaters. While not 100% plastic-free since the Reese’s peanut butter cups or Hersey’s Kisses normally come in a larger plastic bag. But at least the individual candies are not wrapped in plastic. You can also get a large 5lb bag of Reese’s, to minimize the plastic waste.

Wax Paper-Wrapped Candy

Finally, we have wax paper-wrapped candies like Tootsie rolls! You can get a cardboard box full of tootsie rolls from Amazon for a plastic-free option. This ends up being about four and a half pounds of tootsie rolls.

Homemade Treats

If you have a tight-knit community and want to make your own treats, awesome! Who doesn’t love a homemade rice krispy treat or cookie!

Just wrap it in some unbleached parchment paper or foil and you’re set!

What do you think? If you’re planning to hand out candy this year, can you pick a paper box, foil-wrapped, or paper-wrapped option?

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