Special Features

How Romblon Families Turn Recyclables Into Halloween Magic

by Nicole Limlengco
November 4, 2026

A Romblon community showed that recycled Halloween costumes need only egg trays, trash bags, and a family willing to help

In Romblon, Halloween didn’t arrive in a shopping bag. It arrived in egg trays, plastic spoons, cardboard boxes, and trash bags, worn by more than 70 children and parents who set out to make recycled Halloween costumes from whatever they already had at home.

The event, called HERO-ween, was organized by Love Angel Society Inc., a small grassroots group founded in Romblon in 2017. No corporate sponsor stood behind it. The celebration ran on private donations, local goodwill, and one simple challenge: make a costume from things already in the house.

What a Kitchen Drawer Can Become

The results looked nothing like store-bought costumes.

One girl wore a bodice of gold-painted plastic spoons, arranged like feathers above a frothy skirt of white plastic bags. A boy became a police car, built from cardboard and fitted with sirens cut from red and blue bottles. A toddler marched around in egg-tray armor dotted with bottle-cap buttons. Another child turned into a sea witch, trailing tentacles of twisted black plastic with purple “suckers.”

Hundreds of spoons do not paint themselves, and a wearable squad car takes more than one pair of hands. Parents, older siblings, and grandparents cut bottles, folded packaging, glued, painted, and solved problems alongside the kids. One grandmother even joined the parade in a gown of torn streamers and foil.

That may be the real magic of HERO-ween. The children weren’t just dressed up. They were listened to, helped, and allowed to create.

Why Waste Became the Material

For many families in the community, waste is an everyday struggle. Local organizers say there is no designated disposal site, so households often burn or bury much of their trash.

That gives HERO-ween a deeper purpose. A trash bag became a witch’s cape. Bubble wrap added texture and shine. Plastic bottles turned into sirens, petals, and armor. For one evening, materials headed for the fire or the ground became costumes the children wore with obvious pride.

Founder Reuby Mae said most of the materials came from around the children’s homes: parcel packaging, black plastic bags, used bottles, egg trays, and paper plates. She recalled passing one child’s house and seeing the mother and the family’s helper cutting plastic soft-drink bottles to prepare a costume.

“That moment really stayed with me,” she said. The advocacy, she explained, reached beyond the children who attended and into their homes, encouraging whole families to see waste differently.

More Than a Costume Contest

Love Angel Society first invited parents to join, but many were shy. Days before the event, the organizers opened it to children and encouraged families to prepare together.

The intention was clear from the start. Children would not simply arrive, receive something, and leave. Parents were asked to help them think creatively and build costumes from what they could find at home.

The prizes followed the same practical spirit. Instead of flashy toys, winners received essential household items chosen to help families cope with El Niño. Even a mid-event power outage didn’t stop anyone. The lights went out; the fun carried on.

What Makes a Hero?

For Reuby Mae, HERO-ween was never really about winning best costume.

“Being a hero doesn’t necessarily mean doing something extraordinary,” she said. “Sometimes, it simply means being kind, sharing what you have, caring for the environment, and thinking about other people.”

She hopes children will remember that creativity and resourcefulness matter more than expensive things, and that parents will see parenting as more than providing material needs. In a world of consumerism, screens, and pressure to own the newest item, HERO-ween offered another message: kids can have fun, make something meaningful, and care for the planet without spending much.

The organization hopes to make HERO-ween an annual Romblon tradition. Manila may be a possibility someday, but only with the right partnerships and resources. For now, the priority is strengthening what has already started in Romblon.

Easy Halloween Costume Ideas From Recyclables

You don’t need a big budget, or even a big organization, to try this. You need an afternoon, a pile of recyclables, and a child who is allowed to help.

Egg trays make good armor, robot panels, or tunics. Add bottle caps as buttons or dials.
Trash bags can be scrunched and tied into ruffles, capes, wings, or witches’ hats.
Plastic spoons, painted and overlapped, become feathers, scales, or a statement bodice.
Cardboard boxes can become wearable vehicles with shoulder straps.
Foil trays can be flattened and folded into shimmering flowers.

Safety first: Adults or older kids should handle cutting and glue guns, and plastic bags should stay away from small children’s faces.

HERO-ween was a modest event run by a modest organization, but its lesson travels well beyond Romblon. A memorable costume doesn’t need a budget. It needs imagination, a little mess, and a family willing to make something together.