Don't Throw Away The Halloween Pumpkins — Recycle Them!
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Every fall, families across the Northern Hemisphere rush to pumpkin patches in search of the perfect gourds. Some use them to carve out scary jack-o'-lanterns. Others place the fruits outside their homes as decor. But the fascination with pumpkins ends after Halloween, and most end up in the trash.
London-based non-profit Hubbub estimates that in Britain, about 22 million of 39.9 million pumpkins bought this Halloween will go to waste. In the US, about two billion pounds of pumpkins end up in landfills annually. In addition to the massive amount of food waste generated, the rotting fruit also emits large amounts of methane. The greenhouse gas is about 25 percent stronger than carbon dioxide. It is a big contributor to climate change.
Fortunately, this pollution problem has an easy fix. If you used the fruits for decor, extract the edible portions. Roasted pumpkin seeds make a nutritious snack. The flesh can be used to create a delicious soup, a tasty puree, or a lip-smacking pie.
Drop off your sagging jack-o'-lanterns or hollowed-out pumpkins at a local compost collection center. Better still, seek out an organized pumpkin-smashing event and have fun tossing yours on the ground. The remains will be collected and composted once the event is over.
You can also fill pumpkin shells with grains and leave them in the yard or hanging from a tree. The birds, squirrels, and other garden critters will thank you for the treat. If your pumpkin is too far gone to salvage, bury the gourd in your backyard. It will naturally decompose while enriching the soil.
Resources: healtheplanet.com, Hubbub.com, Yahoo.com
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98 Comments
- qqchen0424almost 2 yearsYeah I don’t eat pumpkins anyways but I think it’s really cool
- aestheticfoggy2almost 2 yearsEating pumpkins ehh... Not My favorite but this is pretty cool
- floridagirl234almost 2 yearsWe always eat the pumpkin seeds they are really good and whatever is left we give it to are chickens and the birds like to eat the seeds too
- aestheticfoggy2almost 2 yearsYasssss!!!🎃🎃🎃 I love eating pumpkins seeds!
- lhop1234567almost 2 yearsstop wasting pumpkins
- shaderalmost 2 yearsSave the pumpkins
- capeweju-166273551102almost 2 yearsi like to carve pumpkins
- jodigojamizualmost 2 yearswoahh! cool
- lpollockalmost 2 yearsI like 'no pumpkin left behind', I think it's nice that we can find better ways to dispose of pumpkins.🙂🎃
- 33rathodnover 1 yearI agree.
- mathewk436almost 2 yearsi dont throw away pumpkins or eat them thats so cool
- adroit_avimimusalmost 2 yearsPumpkin pie is my favorite!
- aestheticfoggy2almost 2 yearsYum! Mine too! I'm so happy its fall so pumpkin pie is in the market's⭐⭐✨🎃🍰
- dogo22amazingg4almost 2 yearsI never did that before… it’s very cool, though!
- 33rathodnover 1 yearI did that always