After Halloween, Port Coquitlam residents are encouraged to dispose of their pumpkins responsibly. Pumpkins should be placed in green carts for curbside pickup, along with other food scraps and yard trimmings. The BC Conservation Office is also advising residents to not put out their pumpkins too early this year as the smell attracts bears into the neighbourhoods.
The pumpkins collected, along with other green cart materials, are processed at a regional composting facility and turned into soil amendments for farmers and gardeners. If just a quarter of households that carve pumpkins use their green carts for disposal, thousands of pounds of material can be diverted from the landfill. It’s also important to remove any metal or plastic tea light candles before placing pumpkins in green carts.
Ideas for a green Halloween include:
- Enjoying pumpkin as a food—roasting seeds or using the flesh in recipes.
- Chopping pumpkins into pieces for a backyard composter or burying them in the garden.
- Reusing and recycling materials for costumes and decorations.
- Using reusable bags for collecting candy.
- Choosing treats with minimal packaging.
- Disposing of unwanted unwrapped candy in the green cart.
- Collecting plastic candy wrappers and returning them to a participating Recycle BC Depot.
Nearly one-third of household waste consists of food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard trimmings suitable for composting. Using the City’s green cart program or a backyard composter helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions from landfills.
More information about eco-friendly disposal options is available at portcoquitlam.ca/waste.