Here are some tips and tricks for an eco-friendly Halloween

It's that time of year again. Spooky season is just around the corner.

But fun and horror aside, wildlife advocates in London, Ont. are encouraging people to avoid putting up decorations that can disturb wildlife and cause harm to the environment. 

Birds, bats and owls can get tangled up in fake cobwebs, especially now that it's migration season, said Brian Salt, the director of Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre.

"A lot of birds fly at night, and the one thing in particular that seems to be really dastardly in all of these decorations is that fake spider web stuff," said Salt. "Some of these birds are so small…they only weigh about six or seven grams and they're just not strong enough to get out of it."

Instead, Salt personally opts for a more "natural" Halloween look and encourages others to go for that as well.

"Pumpkins, bales of straw, natural grasses and things of that nature can decorate a place quite nicely," said Salt. "The spooky side, I think, is the spider web stuff that really makes the attraction, but I don't think people are aware of the damage that it does to wildlife." 

From cutting back on plastic wrappers to making homemade costumes, there are lots of simple ways to ensure your Halloween festivities are less of a horror for the planet — and shopping local is another place to start.

Locally-grown pumpkins have a smaller carbon footprint, and opting for them instead of pumpkins shipped from elsewhere can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, said Jamie Dardarian, the Greener Homes project manager at the London Environmental Network. 

"It reduces food miles associated with it because we're not paying to ship pumpkins all over the country," said Dardarian. "It's great when you can shop local."

She added that there are farmers in the area that typically post listings to take pumpkins once Halloween is over to avoid food waste. 

Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre is one of those places that people can go to donate their pumpkins post-Halloween.

"We always take in a couple dozen pumpkins because our birds of prey, for whatever reason, love pumpkins. They beat those things up," said Salt.

Salt doesn't want anyone to underestimate the little things can they do this Halloween to protect wildlife and the environment.

"We do enough to really mess [wildlife] up with plastics and everything else under the sun. But there are some things that we can control, and we can do it very easily. We just have to be smart when we're buying decorations."