RMIT University

The spooky season has officially arrived, with houses decked out with Halloween decorations like fake cobwebs, carved pumpkins, and plastic spiders. However, there is a dark side to the holiday, and an RMIT expert explains how these decorations are harming the native wildlife in our streets.

Professor Sarah Bekessy, Sustainability and Urban Planning

“Most people in Australia are warming to the idea of Halloween fun and certainly our kids have embraced the chocolate and lollies it brings with gusto. But there’s a ‘dark side’ to Halloween decorations that involves the animals we share our homes and streets with.

“Single plastics from costumes and decorations, while fun for the night, can take thousands of years to break down and may end up as microplastic pollution in our riverways and oceans.

“Artificial cobwebs can entangle insects and birds who may also mistakenly try to use it as nesting material.

“And the light pollution from hanging lanterns may seem trivial, but combined with streetlights, can disrupt sleep patterns of animals or prevent them from foraging.

“No one wants a night of fun to become a lifetime of grief for our enchanting native wildlife, but luckily there are great alternatives. Replace fake cobwebs with old sheets, cheesecloth or woven string, challenge yourself to create your costume from things you can find at secondhand shops, and cut down on Halloween lights – it will be spookier!”

Professor Sarah Bekessy leads RMIT’s ICON Science research group, which uses interdisciplinary approaches to solve complex biodiversity conservation problems. She is particularly interested in understanding the role of human behaviour in conservation.

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