In need of a Halloween costume? Rethink Waste has got you covered

The University of Richmond Rethink Waste Office is hosting its first Halloween Costume Swap on Friday, Oct. 21. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Tyler Haynes Commons Hanging Lounge.

The costumes featured will be collected from donation bins placed around campus. Students, faculty and staff who want to donate their used costumes can find these bins on the second floor of the Commons and in laundry rooms in Dennis Hall, Lakeview Hall, Marsh Hall, Moore Hall, Residence Hall 1, South Court, Lora Robins Court, Gray Court, the Gateway Village Apartments and University Forest Apartments, according to the Rethink Waste’s Instagram page.

Donors can also bring their costumes to the Office of Spider Exchange during its open hours, which are Monday to Thursday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Senior Alexa Sottosanti, Rethink Waste manager, said the event was created to discourage people from buying fast fashion.

“We were trying to figure out a way to reduce the buying of really cheap materials that you’re not going to use again,” Sottosanti said.

This would be the second themed Spider Exchange pop-up this semester, after the Falling for Fall event in September, said sophomore Sophie Tanner, Rethink Waste’s communication specialist and administrative group student leader. Tanner said that having a specific theme could be an incentive for people to look through their closets and find old costumes.

“It’s a cause that everybody is very excited about, especially with not having to spend as much money,” Tanner said.

Sophomore Lorena Campos-Castro planned to attend event and said it made Halloween more accessible.

“I think it is very exciting because it allows students without cars to partake in the Halloween festivities on campus without the hassle of figuring out how to buy a costume off campus,” Campos-Castro said.

Sottosanti is excited to see the growth of the Spider Exchange program, which was started in  spring 2021, she said.

“We have hired a lot more people this semester,” Sottosanti said. “We started having regular customers now, and it’s fun to see everyone get engaged with Spider Exchange.”

There have also been talks about expanding the use of the Spider Exchange office through community events, Tanner said.

“We have talked about doing events to bring people up here that aren’t just the normal Spider Exchange, like having a community garden space in the back or having open mic nights,” she said. “We’re also looking into getting Wi-Fi, so people can come up here and do homework at the tables.”

A Thanksgiving-themed clothing swap in November has also been in the works, Sottosanti said. Another Rethink Waste event, Makers Market, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 22. The event provides an opportunity for UR students who make handcrafted items to sell their products at Spider Exchange, Tanner said.

Tanner suggested students sign up for the monthly newsletter to learn more about the Rethink Waste office and its activities. 

Contact lifestyle writer Son Tran at son.tran@richmond.edu.