Friday 25-10-2024 - 14:55

Most of us love the thrill of Halloween but there's some monstrous impacts on the environment we should all consider before carving up those jack-o’-lanterns!

Here’s a few facts that will have you spooked:

• It takes around 20 years for a pumpkin to decompose in landfill.
• 83% of Halloween costumes are made of polyester, which takes between 20 to 200 years to decompose and contains non-recyclable oil-based plastics. (Hubbub Halloween Clothing & Costumes Survey 2019)
• Around 18,000 tons of Halloween pumpkins end up in landfill each year.
• According to The National Retail Federation around $2.6 billion is spent on sweets and chocolates for Halloween globally. These treats are usually wrapped in unrecyclable plastic which ultimately ends up in landfill.

The good news is, consumers are now making better decisions when it comes to reducing food and plastic waste and between 10 to 15 million of the pumpkins purchased, are locally sourced.

How can you reduce waste this Halloween?

Culinary sensations…

Make that autumnal classic: Pumpkin soup. Here’s a recipe or simply boil the flesh with stock and seasoning, then blend.

Bake a pumpkin cake.  It’s basically the same as a carrot cake but you replace the carrot with pumpkin. Here’s a recipe.

Roasted pumpkin seeds: Scoop out the seeds, dry them off then roast them in the oven with a bit of olive oil for about ten minutes.  They’re delicious seasoned with cinnamon!

Make that all American favourite pumpkin pie.  Here’s a recipe.

Blend pumpkin flesh to create a puree, then mix with coffee, milk, cinnamon, and maple syrup for a homemade spiced pumpkin latte.

Compost

Pumpkins decompose quickly due to their high water content. Cut them into smaller chunks, and they can break down in as little as eight weeks. Unless you want your very own pumpkin patch, remember to remove the seeds before adding to your compost pile to stop them from rooting!

If you don’t have a compost bin, you can still cut up an old pumpkin, remove the seeds, and bury it in your garden. It will break down and provide nutrients for other plants.

Rinse the seeds, store them in a cool, dry place then plant the largest ones in April. They should be fully grown by October.

If you’re not able to do any of the above, always dispose of it in a food waste bin. This ensures it’s sent for anaerobic digestion to generate energy, rather than rotting in landfill and adding to greenhouse gas emissions.  If you have space and good relations with your local food waste collection service,  you could even set up a pumpkin recycling post so students can drop any waste pumpkins in.

Other Uses

Pumpkins are safe for domesticated animals and are packed with vitamins and fibre, making them great for digestion for dogs and cats. Blend the pumpkin into a puree and add it to their usual food.

Contact local animal shelters, farms or zoos to see if they want your old pumpkins for animal feed.