Inner West Council takes to Facebook to tell residents what they should and shouldn’t use for Halloween decorations

Residents of Sydney’s inner west have questioned what their council will try to control next, after it urged residents to ditch their Halloween decorations in favour of “sheep’s wool” and other “natural materials”.

“Where does it end?”

That’s the question many residents in Sydney’s inner west are asking after the “preachy” local council urged them to swap out their Halloween decorations for organic food waste alternatives, or even sheep’s wool, just days before the spooky celebration.

In what one “pissed off” local has labelled “a step too far”, the Inner West Council has posted a “dos and don’ts” list as part of a push for residents to turn to reusable and organic materials when hanging their decorations.

The Inner West Council’s “dos and don’ts” Halloween post.

“Happy Halloween! We encourage you to celebrate sustainably with reusable items and organic decorations,” Tuesday’s Facebook post said.

“Let’s avoid the horror of single-use plastics during the spooky season.

“Plastic bugs and synthetic spider webs are especially dangerous. Wildlife can ingest these items by mistake or get caught in them, leading to injury and death ... We can all enjoy the spookiest Halloween possible without impacting wildlife.”

The post listed straw, sheep’s wool, sticks, twigs, cotton wool and organic food waste as “natural materials” locals should use.

Halloween decorations on Kingston Rd in Camperdown last October. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

On the other hand, fishing line, rope, string, twine, yarn, cotton wool and balloons were discouraged under the subheading “do not use”.

“Pissed off” Stanmore resident Gareth George slammed the post as “preachy” and “ridiculous”.

“I’m not sure what kind of Halloween display you could create with leaves and organic waste,” he said.

“You need to let people decorate their houses the way they want to.

The Inner West Council wants residents to swap out their Halloween decorations for “organic food waste”.

“I understand the fake webs. Those aren’t good, but most of this list is nonsense.

“It’s irritating because I spent three hours setting up decorations, made my own spider webs out of reusable rope from Bunnings, trying to make a conscious effort, then the council post this and it makes us look like the bad guys now.”

The list has divided opinion on Facebook, where the post has attracted more than 70 shares and dozens of comments.

While many were enraged, others came to the council’s defence.

Halloween decorations on Kingston Rd, Camperdown, last year. Picture:NewsWire / Monique Harmer

“Thanks for calling out the fake spider web. Can we ban it for next year,” one user wrote.

“(Fake webs) should be banned. They cause terrible damage to our birds,” one user said.

Some of the uproar related to the council’s decision to share the list on Tuesday, just two days before Halloween, in a move some residents described as “infuriating”, believing it should have been rolled out weeks ago.

This is the first time the council has shared a “dos and don'ts” type list for Halloween decorations, which has Mr George questioning the council will want to control next.

“I’ve spoken to people in a class I attend and they think it’s ridiculous,” he said.

“Firstly, to bring it out a day or two before is ridiculous. This needs to be something that is rolled out weeks ago and integrating less materials to start.

“But it’s like ‘what next?’ Are they going to start saying you can’t decorate your house during Christmas?

“This just seems like fun police nonsense.”

It is unclear whether the council will look to sanction residents who use materials on its “dont’s” list, and, if so, how it would do so.

The council was contacted for comment but did not respond in time for publication.