Don't Trash Your Pumpkin!
Q: After the treats have been collected and the costumes put away, what do you do with your jack o’ lantern?
A: Simply put it into your green cart for curbside pickup, along with your other kitchen scraps and yard trimmings.
If households who receive City waste services carve a pumpkin this year and place it in their green cart, that simple action could divert thousands of pounds of material away from the landfill. In addition, the used-up pumpkins will join the other green cart material going to the regional composting facility, where it will be turned into soil amendments that are sold to farmers and gardeners.
Unwanted candy can also be dropped into the green cart rather than the trash.
Other ideas for a green Halloween:
- Like squash, pumpkin is edible and tasty – and the seeds can also be roasted. Look for recipes online.
- Chop your pumpkin into pieces and place them in your backyard composter or bury them in your garden. Learn about the City's subsidized backyard composters.
- Re-use and recycle as much as possible when making costumes and decorations, rather than buying new.
- Supply your children with reusable bags for collecting candy.
- Give out treats that have a minimum of packaging.
More information about Pumpkin Recycling from Metro Vancouver.