Minimalist Zero Waste Fall Home Decor Ideas

Before you head to Hobby Lobby to buy that brand new basket of painted fall leaves and plastic pine cones, consider an eco-friendly alternative. Zero waste fall home decor is simple, sustainable, and in many cases, free! Fall home decor ideas can extend beyond chain craft stores if you get a little crafty yourself.

As the air cools and we add layers to our outfits, traditional fall activities start to bloom like flowers do in the spring. Scents of pumpkin spice, apple crisp, and bonfires replace the summery smells of fresh cotton, ocean mist, and peonies. Spooky season has almost arrived, and many of us are ridiculously excited to celebrate this fact by displaying the appropriate decor across our yards and in every room of our homes.

Within this large group of autumn lovers, there is a small (but mighty) group of us who value minimalism and sustainability. We’re aware of the shocking 27 million tons of plastic dumped into landfills in the United States each year. We know that the 300 million tons of plastic waste produced annually roughly equals the weight of the entire human population. If we can help it, we’re going to limit the objects we accumulate that will eventually end up decomposing in landfills for hundreds of years. As fall approaches, this question arises: 

How can I decorate my home with fall decor without buying new objects or harming the environment?

There are many ways to transform your home into a beautiful orange and brown fall party without supporting plastic production! There is no need to search for more space in your home to store additional holiday decorations because the options for minimalist zero waste fall decor are abundant. Check out these sustainable and minimal zero waste tips for decorating your home for fall!

Zero Waste Decor Ideas for Fall

Purchase flowers from a local farmer’s market and dry them.

Farmer’s market flowers often come in paper packaging or no packaging at all. Support your local businesses and buy beautiful, package-free, fall-themed flowers for your dinner table. Once they start to droop, hang them upside down for three weeks until they fully dry out. Dried flowers will last for a long time, even longer than the season of fall! Plants that are perfect for fall include baby’s breath, yellow and orange mums, purple fountain grass, and black-eyed susans.

Go outside and collect nature.

Grab your hiking boots, head to a local trail or park, and go forage for nature! Some of you could simply step into your backyard. After double-checking foraging laws in your area, go collect your natural and free fall decor. Look for berries, grasses, pine cones, acorns, hay, leaves, and twigs. A basket full of real nature is so much more beautiful and sustainable than a basket full of plastic pinecones. Make sure you avoid the plants that trigger your seasonal allergies!

Visit a local pumpkin patch or orchard.

Support your local farmers at their farms and orchards as you search for sustainable, minimalist home decor. Pumpkins, gourds, squash, and apples are perfect for zero waste fall home decor because they serve multiple purposes! After these pretty fall fruits have been on display, and before they go bad, make something delicious with them. Use as much of the fruit as you can, and compost any pieces you don’t use. Tasty desserts you can make from these ingredients include butternut squash soup, apple pie, pumpkin pie, homemade pumpkin seeds, and dried fruit. Plus, dried fruit tossed into mason jars is super cute on display!

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Make your own fall-scented candles or buy organic candles and reuse the containers.

Learn how to make your own natural candles, but stay conscious of the items you purchase for the process. Find zero waste options for the wicks and choose non-toxic essential oils. Reuse past candle jars for your homemade candles. 

If you’re not interested in making your own, buy candles from local businesses that use natural, non-toxic ingredients, like soy wax or beeswax. Once your delicious apple or pumpkin scented candle burns to the bottom, clean out the remaining wax and reuse the candle jar! I’ve repurposed candle jars into plant pots, kitchenware, a container for bathroom items, and a container for random objects, like keys and phone chargers.

Decorate your coffee bar with fall flavors. 

Mmm cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, chai... Fill your cutest jars with these flavors and set them on your coffee bar for sustainable home decor you can eat. You can also display your coffee grounds or beans in mason jars. I reused two cute brown candle jars by filling them with cinnamon and sugar for my coffee bar.

Display your prettiest books on your bookshelf.

If you have a set of old, beat-up classics, those will look beautiful on display as fall decor. You can also turn a stack of books around so that the pages are showing instead of the spine of the book. This creates a natural, bookish look that sings ~ autumn ~ when paired with some natural pieces of foraged nature! Get creative with your bookshelf decor by leaning some of your novels against a gourd or pumpkin and adding warm string lights.

Use the fall decoration you already have.

Get crafty with what you already own. Try rearranging some of your existing fall decor in a way you haven’t before. You could add your collected twigs and pinecones to (pumpkin) spice things up! Use baskets, jars, and other storage containers you already own to dump your zero waste decor items in.

Visit a thrift store, like Goodwill or Facebook Marketplace.

If you’re okay with accumulating a few more objects, buy them used. Local thrift stores, like Goodwill or Facebook Marketplace, are filled with pre-owned fall decor items patiently waiting for their new home. Thrift stores are especially great for Halloween costumes. You can also search for costumes on eBay. Buying used is better than buying new because it gives another life to an object. Buying a used item causes the demand for new items to drop, which means one less object needs to be manufactured.

Happy fall decorating, minimalist and sustainable autumn lovers!