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As Halloween weekend draws to a close, many Syracuse University students spent Sunday packing up their “Top Gun” uniform, itchy wig or baby pink princess corset.

According to the National Retail Federation, consumers spent an estimated $10.14 billion on Halloween in 2021. For some students, the thought of spending over $100 on a costume is unrealistic for their bank account. But others plan a different costume for each night of the weekend, spending money on the perfect set of angel wings and halo, only to never wear them again, a practice that contributes to the 11.3 tons of textile waste from excess consumerism each year.

Rayhan Khan, a communication and rhetorical studies junior, is a Halloween lover. Each year, he buys multiple costumes to celebrate the occasion. This year, he bought a “Top Gun” costume, a mechanic costume and is reusing a gladiator costume that he bought last year and never wore.

“Of course I bought new costumes this year. I probably spent roughly $80,” Khan said. “The mechanic costume I will wear again, but the Top Gunn is (so) uncomfortable so I’ll never want to wear it (after this year).”

On the other hand, Payton Morse, a sophomore studying sociology and Julio Lopez, a junior computer science major, said they learned from past years that buying a $70 costume to only wear once wasn’t worth the money. This year, they are turning to their closets and buying cheap accessories like fake blood and face paint.

Patrick Penfield, a supply chain professor in the Whitman School of Management, teaches a green supply chain management course that examines clothing through the creation process. Recently, he has been talking to his students about where Halloween costumes are created, how they get to stores and what happens after the holiday is over.

Many costumes and accessories are made in China because of the cheap labor cost, Penfield said. Halloween stores will usually place a bulk order of costumes sometime in the spring before they arrive in the U.S. between July and August.

But the Halloween industry doesn’t have a recycling system in place for many costumes, Penfield said, which makes it especially wasteful.

“Throwing out clothes has been a standard practice for almost 150 years,” Penfield said. “Unless people donate their costumes the only place they go is the landfill.”

Audrey Glynn, a sophomore broadcast and digital journalism major, only bought one costume this year. Instead of buying a costume in a bag or something she will never want to wear again, she bought actual clothing, including a red bodysuit, to create her lifeguard look.

As a freshman last year, Glynn expected everyone to wear elaborate costumes each night. She planned her outfits for the holiday weeks beforehand, but when Halloween weekend rolled around, she didn’t end up wearing any of them.

“I am so upset about all the money I spent and wasted,” Glynn said. “Also, all the clothing that still sits in my closet that I’ve never even worn.”

Penfield encouraged people to find a costume next year that is cost-effective, and can be worn more than once. He teaches his students a similar lesson, and shows them how clothing items get back into the supply chain after they have already gone through the process of being made, sold and worn.

“Thinking about ways to reuse or recycle clothing and being able to sell it again is something I am teaching my students and will hopefully see in the future,” said Penfield.

Spending $50 on three separate costumes is no longer worth it to Chloe Ivinski, a junior psychology major. In the past she has bought a completely new look for all three nights of Halloweekend and never worn them again. She feels proud that she has come to terms with how wasteful that is.

“I actually didn’t buy anything this year. I made all my costumes from things I already own,” Ivinski said. “I have never done that before, but it makes so much more sense.”

Published on October 30, 2022 at 11:01 pm