Don't Be Spooked: Easy Ways to Dispose of Halloween Pumpkins

Jack-o’-lanterns are widely used all over the world, especially during the fall season, for Halloween. Every year, during the Halloween days, Pumpkins are bought in almost every house to celebrate the event with fun.

However, when Halloween is over, everybody is looking for safe ways to dispose of the pumpkins which have been used as their lanterns for this festival.

Can you throw away pumpkins?

If you are thinking of just throwing away the pumpkins on the street, then it would be inappropriate and it may cause any environmental issues. It may attracts the pests. If it starts decomposing, it will release a potent greenhouse gas which will be bad for the neighbourhood.

There are many methods to get rid of pumpkins from composting them to preparing them as a food for wildlife.

Let’s know how to dispose of Pumpkins after Halloween in this article.

How to Dispose of Pumpkins after Halloween (Methods)

If you are thinking of taking your used pumpkins to landfills, let us tell you that this is not a very good idea. That is because pumpkins, when piled up in a landfill, start to emit toxic methane gas, which is extremely harmful for the environment.

So, it is advised to look for alternative methods to dispose of pumpkins after Halloween. Following are all the methods you can use to get rid of these decorations safely.

1. Feed the Pumpkins to Animals

You can place your pumpkin pieces in the garden for the animals around to eat and enjoy.

Here are some points you should have in mind while feeding your pets or other animals with pumpkins:

Firstly, place only the organic food for the wildlife to eat and avoid placing any inorganic stuff.
To make it easier for the animals, cut down the pumpkin into small pieces so that they can intake their food without facing problems.
Do not stand near the food as it can be dangerous for you when the animals are near. Instead, go inside your house after placing pumpkins outside.
After the animals have eaten and left, make sure you clean the place and throw any leftovers in trash cans.

2. Pumpkin Recycling Programs

There are various local and some government organizations which can recycle pumpkins or make compost out of them. This is one easy way to get rid of your pumpkins after you are done using them.

Check out if your city government allows taking pumpkins to the recycling centers. If not, you can go for the second option.

There must be local recycling centers and recycling programs around the city where you can take your items. You will probably have to pay a fee if you go to local recyclers. Make sure you keep trash and recycling material separated from each other.

Check Out recycling schedules of every city at My Garbage Schedule.

3. Donate the Pumpkins

Donating the pumpkins is a very good idea if you want to get rid of them, as it helps both you and those in need.

There are local food banks set up in the city which accept donated and eatable food and in return distribute the food among those in need.

Make sure you clean the pumpkins and ask for the donatable food requirements from the food bank beforehand.

4. Composting the Pumpkins

How to compost pumpkins?

Following are the steps you need to follow in order to compost the pumpkins properly.

Firstly, clean the pumpkin thoroughly and remove the inorganic material, if any, attached to your organic pumpkin.
Also, remove all the decorations you have adorned your pumpkin with.
The next step is to break down the pumpkin into various pieces for it to compost rapidly.
Add the pieces of pumpkins to the compost bins or to an already present compost pile.
Add proper moisture to the compost material you have just prepared.
Wait for your mixture to be decomposed or composted.

How to use the composted Pumpkins?

The composted matter produced is very good for plants and trees as it helps in proper growth and provides nutrition to these species. Hence, pumpkin compost is used as an excellent fertilizer.

After the excess pumpkins have been completely composted, the best use you can make out of these are to use them as nutrient-rich fertilizers.

Benefits of composting

Here are some benefits of composting:

Composting any decomposable substance helps reduce waste from the landfill. Items like pumpkins when piled up in landfills, produce large amounts of methane gas which is highly dangerous for the environment, and hence causes environmental pollution.
Composted material is a high quality fertilizer and acts as a source of nutrition for plants and increases their growth.

4. Composting Pumpkin Guts

Whenever you buy yourself some pumpkins, you probably remove the slimy part of its interior which has the seeds. That slimy part and the seeds altogether are known as pumpkin gut.

Although seeds can be used for other purposes as well, composting them is never a bad idea. Moreover, this substance is nutrient-rich and makes a very good plant fertilizer after being composted.

How to compost Pumpkin guts?

In order to compost pumpkins, there are a few steps you need to follow.

Firstly, separate the gut from the pumpkin.
Then mash the mixture completely and mix it well.
Now it is time to add the mixture to your already present compost.
Leave the material to be completely composted, after which you can use it as a fertilizer.

5. Make Snacks out of Pumpkins

Bake Pumpkin Pies

Pumpkin pies are a delicious treat to our taste buds. Pumpkin pie can be prepared by mixing pumpkin puree, eggs, a little salt, condensed milk or sugar and other ingredients. This mixture is added to the crust and baked to make a tasty pumpkin pie.

Make Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread is made out of pumpkin, oil, orange juice, some spices, chocolate chips, flour, eggs, sugar, and baking soda. Making a mixture out of these ingredients and carefully baking it and then slices the bread will give you a delicious pumpkin flavored bread.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Roasted pumpkin seeds are a very good snack to enjoy. Take out all the seeds from the pumpkin and then soak them in water to make roasted seeds. Then wash the seeds completely and let them dry afterwards. You can boil them if you like and dry them at last to enjoy the delicious roasted pumpkin seed snacks.

6. Repurpose your Pumpkins

You can reuse your pumpkins by transforming them into other useful products.

Make a centerpiece using Pumpkins and place the decoration in your living room.
You can paint the fruit and make decorative pieces out of it.
Winters are coming and so you can paint the pumpkins and transform it into a snowman.

Questions About Disposing Pumpkins

What to do with leftover pumpkins after Halloween?

Leftover pumpkins should not be taken to the landfill. Instead, one should either compost them, donate them to food banks, or make creative products out of them.

How do you dispose of pumpkin inside?

The pumpkin inside or the pumpkin guts are nutrient rich and hence can be used as fertilizers after being composted. The seeds can also be used as snacks after they are roasted.

Pumpkin Disposing By Mygarbageschedule.com

Disposing of pumpkins post-halloween is the talk of the town nowadays. They should not be taken to landfills. Insead, one can recycle or compost them, make snacks out of them, donate these fruits to the food banks, make decor items out of them or reuse them by any other method.