Plenty of people enjoy the tradition of pumpkin picking and carving at Halloween
Pumpkin picking and carving is yearly tradition for many residents at Halloween. However, Hull City Council says that every year millions of pumpkins are incorrectly discarded.
As a result, the council is urging residents to dispose of their Halloween pumpkins responsibly. When pumpkins are incorrectly discarded, they contribute to significant food waste and environmental harm, the council warned.
The most obvious choice of what to do when you’ve finished your spooky fun is cook up a seasonal treat. Pumpkins are great for making soups and pies and there are plenty of recipes online that can help you get started.
But if pumpkin soup isn’t quite your taste, the council says you can simply place your pumpkin in your food waste caddy or brown bin so it can be composted. You must remember to remove any candles, wax and decorations.
If you have your own compost bin, this is something you can do at home. By chopping the pumpkin up smaller, it will break down faster and you’ll soon have compost for enriching the soil in your garden.
However you choose to re-use your pumpkin, the council is urging residents not to dispose of them in the black bin. You should also not dump them in woodlands as this can harm wildlife. Pumpkins can cause digestive issues in animals and introduce harmful bacteria into the environment.
Councillor Charles Quinn, portfolio holder for environment, said: “As a council, we are committed to promoting reuse and recycling, and not letting anything go to waste. By eating our Halloween pumpkins or recycling them so they can be turned into compost, we can make Halloween environmentally friendly as well as fun.”
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