10 ingenious Halloween costumes made from recycled junk

When it comes to Halloween, Americans aren't spooked about buying new costumes or decorations. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are predicted to spend over $8.4 billon on Halloween goods in 2016 - higher than any year in history. One way to stop contributing to the inevitable waste is to get crafty and make your own costumes out of things you have lying around the house. Here are a ten unique, inspiring costumes made out of recycled junk that are sure to impress on Halloween.

When it comes to Halloween, Americans aren't spooked about buying new costumes or decorations. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are predicted to spend over $8.4 billon on Halloween goods in 2016 - higher than any year in history. One way to stop contributing to the inevitable waste is to get crafty and make your own costumes out of things you have lying around the house. Here are a ten unique, inspiring costumes made out of recycled junk that are sure to impress on Halloween.

When it comes to Halloween, Americans aren't spooked about buying new costumes or decorations. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are predicted to spend over $8.4 billon on Halloween goods in 2016 - higher than any year in history. One way to stop contributing to the inevitable waste is to get crafty and make your own costumes out of things you have lying around the house. Here are a ten unique, inspiring costumes made out of recycled junk that are sure to impress on Halloween.

When it comes to Halloween, Americans aren't spooked about buying new costumes or decorations. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are predicted to spend over $8.4 billon on Halloween goods in 2016 - higher than any year in history. One way to stop contributing to the inevitable waste is to get crafty and make your own costumes out of things you have lying around the house. Here are a ten unique, inspiring costumes made out of recycled junk that are sure to impress on Halloween.

<h1><a href="http://inhabitat.com/greenhalloweencontest/perfection-board-game-halloween-costume-by-paul-zakrzewski/">1. Walking Game Board</a></h1> If you're feeling extra nostalgic, try recreating your favorite childhood board game. This costume mimics the Perfection board game using <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/cardboard/">cardboard boxes</a>, old plastic tablecloths, and cut-out shapes. The pop-out game pieces are made with some old sponges, duct tape, and pill bottles. For the full instructions on this particular outfit, check out <a href="http://inhabitat.com/greenhalloweencontest/perfection-board-game-halloween-costume-by-paul-zakrzewski/">this past entry</a> from Inhabitat's Green Halloween Contest.

<h1><a href="http://www.inhabitots.com/greenhalloweencontest/game-of-thrones-illusion/">2. Games of Thrones Illusion</a></h1> Serious Game of Thrones fans will dig this getup. The ode to King Joffrey has a set of false legs, giving the illusion of sitting when the wearer is actually standing and walking inside the throne. This particular <a href="http://www.inhabitots.com/greenhalloweencontest/game-of-thrones-illusion/">illusory costume</a> was made from cardboard boxes, vertical blinds and palm fronds found in a dumpster. The jacket was fashioned out of old fabric, and the fur trim, pants and boots were picked up at a thrift store. The sword was an old prop the creator had on hand.

When it comes to Halloween, Americans aren't spooked about buying new costumes or decorations. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are predicted to spend over $8.4 billon on Halloween goods in 2016 - higher than any year in history. One way to stop contributing to the inevitable waste is to get crafty and make your own costumes out of things you have lying around the house. Here are a ten unique, inspiring costumes made out of recycled junk that are sure to impress on Halloween.

<h1><a href="http://inhabitat.com/greenhalloweencontest/interlocking-tetris-couples-halloween-costume/">3. Couples Tetris</a></h1> Addicted to <a href="http://inhabitat.com/greenhalloweencontest/interlocking-tetris-couples-halloween-costume/">Tetris</a>? To fashion a couples costume, simply paint and glue together eight same-sized cardboard boxes. Then cut holes for faces, arms, and for interlocking the boxes. This costume design requires little time or money to pull off, and your friends will love it.

<h1><a href="http://inhabitat.com/greenhalloweencontest/wall-e-halloween-costume/">4. Wall-E</a></h1> This version of the beloved <a href="http://inhabitat.com/greenhalloweencontest/wall-e-halloween-costume/">waste-collecting Wall-E robot</a> is crafted entirely out of recycled items. The body, eyes and wheels are made from cut cardboard and the pupils were cut from bottoms of plastic bottles. Everything was assembled with a hot glue gun and spray painted to mimic the adorable bot.

When it comes to Halloween, Americans aren't spooked about buying new costumes or decorations. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are predicted to spend over $8.4 billon on Halloween goods in 2016 - higher than any year in history. One way to stop contributing to the inevitable waste is to get crafty and make your own costumes out of things you have lying around the house. Here are a ten unique, inspiring costumes made out of recycled junk that are sure to impress on Halloween.

<h1><a href="http://inhabitat.com/greenhalloweencontest/lego-mini-figure-zombie-halloween-costume/">5. Lego Mini-Figure Zombie</a></h1> This perfectly undead <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/lego/">Lego mini-figure</a> zombie costume is made from recycled foam rubber camping mats. After measuring the dimensions of a toy Lego mini-figure in proportion to your own measurements, simply cut out shapes of the camping mats and hot glue the pieces together. Paint on the oozing Lego head and use an auto window tint for visibility.

When it comes to Halloween, Americans aren't spooked about buying new costumes or decorations. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are predicted to spend over $8.4 billon on Halloween goods in 2016 - higher than any year in history. One way to stop contributing to the inevitable waste is to get crafty and make your own costumes out of things you have lying around the house. Here are a ten unique, inspiring costumes made out of recycled junk that are sure to impress on Halloween.