Throwback Thursday: Upcycle Packaging Materials to Trick or Treat

We only have 11 days left to decorate for Halloween! If you hadn’t already noticed, retailers have been ready for a while to provide you with home decor, costumes and candy. For this Throwback Thursday we look back at consumer spending around this holiday and ways to upcycle packaging materials.

As retailers fill aisles with all things costumes, candy and creepy decor, you might not be surprised to hear that Americans will spend nearly $7 billion on Halloween this year. While consumer spending on this holiday will not nearly touch that of Christmas, the figure is substantial.

For Halloween decorations alone, the total spending is expected to reach $2.7 billion, according to the National Retail Federation’s Halloween Consumer Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics states.

At Ernest Packaging Solutions, our minds turn to fun and frightful ways to upcycle packaging materials. Instead of hitting up your nearest superstore for eerie decor, why not look for ways to reuse materials found around your home?! Reduce waste and boost your creativity with some inspiration from these innovative DIY Halloween projects:

Pallet Zombie Pit

While we specialize in crates and boxes that increase loading efficiencies and prevent damage, we tip our hats to this creepy creativity with cinder blocks, a can of paint and, of course, the pallet to top it off. Zombies be ware!

via Instructables

Eerie Garage Scene

This DIYer used plywood, but we suspect that sturdy cardboard could stand the scare just as well. With a dremel tool, black spray paint and backlighting, these paper witches will stir up quite the fright.

via Instructables

Caution Signs

These signs of danger can be made from cardboard boxes stashed away in the basement, reused for next year or recycled. And when it comes to reduce, reuse and recycle, we got a sneaking suspicion of a winning Halloween DIY.

via Woman’s Day

Package Up Mummy Style

In order to keep a package secure for shipment, careful wrapping is a must. For this mummy, we’re not sure it’s up for The Ernest Challenge, but it delivers a curious presence for sure.

via Better Homes & Garden

Cardboard Tombstones

Give your trick-or-treaters a scare with these foreboding tombstones made from cardboard.

via eHow

We celebrate the inventive and innovative ways people use cardboard and packaging material—ghoulish or not. That’s why we at Ernest Packaging Solutions created a cardboard skateboard fit for a pro and a snowboard to take the slopes.

Are you ready for a partner that looks for every opportunity to craft a sustainable solution for your packaging—no tricks, just treats? Contact us today.