Halloween candy buyback programs around Seattle

Photo credit: Istock photos

By Seattle's Child Staff

Published October 2024

Updated October 29, 2024

Good dental health and candy are often competing ideas. Whether it’s trick-or-treating on Halloween, indulging in a goodie bag full of birthday treats, or choosing from a box of chocolates after a winter celebration, candy is one of those foods that’s easy to have for many days. Parents worry about overindulgence, tummy aches, low nutritional value, and the many behavioral side effects of having too much of a sugary treat.

Delta Dental of Washington shares that it’s possible to make better choices with the types of candy children consume and the ones parents distribute on holidays like Halloween. These are recommendations for good dental health, not only for Halloween, but year round.

When consumed in moderation, these candies are your best bet when you need to supply some sweet treats:

No candy is a friend to teeth, but these are especially bad cavity culprits. For your next Halloween haul, skip the sticky, sour and hard candies:

When your family does partake in Halloween candy, try to savor sweets at mealtimes as dessert. Eating candies with other foods helps wash away sugar and bacteria left behind by candy, especially with some sips of water in between to help wash it down.

“Offer a pre-trick-or-treating snack to your kids before you run out the door,” said Kim Trieu, DDS, a Delta Dental of Washington member dentist, who also teaches at the University of Washington School of Dentistry. “Eating a healthy snack or dinner before candy collecting helps avoid late night candy snacking sessions.”

Rationing the big Halloween haul to one or two pieces of candy per day helps kids see candy as a treat rather than a bottomless buffet. Chocolate candy can even be frozen and kept for six to eight months past the expiration date for candy treats all year long.

Make sure to get a good brush and floss in before bed on Halloween to help keep the sugar bugs at bay.

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Sometimes, having large amounts of candy at home can be too much temptation for kids (and adults). It’s better to get it out of the house- divide it and re-gift it to other families or find an organization to take the donation. Dentists around the Seattle area also have buy-back programs. Contact your local dentist to see if they participate, or visit one of the offices below. Show up at the dentist’s office at the designated times and trade your candy for cash.

Seattle Kids Dentistry

Date/Time: November 1-6 during office hoursAddress: 945 Elliott Ave. W., #101 Seattle 98119Contact: 206-743-8660

Seattle Dentistry will collect candy on November 1-6, during normal business hours. Paying $1/lb up to 10 lbs.

Molen Orthodontics

Address: Auburn, Sumner and EnumclawDate: November 1, 2:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Molen Orthodontics will buy leftover Halloween treats at $2 per pound, up to 10 pounds per child. Kids can also earn an extra $1 for bringing in two or more canned food items and another $1 for wearing their Halloween costumes.

Auburn location: 1110 Harvey Rd., Auburn, WA 98002253-939-2552

Enumclaw location: 1771 Farrelly St., Enumclaw, WA 98022253-939-2552

Sumner location: 16209 64th St. E, Sumner, WA 98390253-939-2552

Ridwell

If you belong to this specialty recycling service, Halloween candy will be your featured category soon. Check your Ridwell account for more information. They’ll take anything individually wrapped and not Halloween-specific and give it to several organizations, including Birthday Dreams, White Center Food Bank, Downtown Emergency Service Center, and Rainier Valley Food Bank.

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