Michigan Trash or Treasure Program Asks Residents to Collect, Recycle Candy Wrappers this Halloween

A program in Lansing, Mich. is encouraging Halloween trick-or-treaters to consider recycling their small candy wrappers.

Almost 600 million pounds of candy is purchased each Halloween and because of that, millions of small candy wrappers will end up in a landfill. Also, the small size of the wrappers can create issues in the collection process.

“Contamination is a big problem, so candy wrappers get in places where they’re not supposed to because they are so small,” said Katie Brewer of Greater Laingsburg Recyclers.

Brewer is in her second year participating in the Trash or Treasure recycling program. The campaign started in 2019 with the mission to reduce waste on Earth.

Katie Kinnear, who works with the waste management and recycling software company Rubicon, added, “It’s a great way to take a little bit of ownership of the waste that you make during a holiday that is really enjoyable and wonderful, but how can we make that holiday a little bit sweeter through sustainability.”

Jessica Nelson, Laingsburg Girl Scouts, stresses the importance of the program and how it can teach kids that even the smallest actions can make a difference.

“The trash can overwhelm us in an instant, so it’s just something that we want to teach our girls,” said Nelson. “They love the idea of the wrappers being turned into doggy doo-doo bags. They all got a kick out of that of course.”

Candy lovers are asked to collect their candy wrappers and drop them off at the Laingsburg Recyclers Center.

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