The Frightful Truth About Halloween Pumpkins
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Every October, families rush to pumpkin patches to pick out the perfect gourds. Some use them to carve spooky jack-o'-lanterns, while others place them outside their homes as decor. Unfortunately, the fascination with the colorful fruit fades once Halloween ends, and most pumpkins end up in the trash.
A 2020 poll conducted by the UK-based non-profit Hubbub found that over fifty percent of the 24 million Halloween pumpkins that British citizens bought that year were destined for the landfill. Things are no better in the US, where about a billion pounds of pumpkins get tossed out and left to rot in landfills annually. In addition to the massive amount of food waste generated, the rotting fruit also emits large amounts of methane — a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide.
Fortunately, this pollution problem is easy to solve. We can all help eliminate the food waste by keeping the edible portions of the fruit during carving. Roasted pumpkin seeds make a nutritious snack, while the flesh can be transformed into a delicious soup, a tasty puree, or a lip-smacking pie.
Once Halloween is over, drop your jack-o'-lanterns at a local compost collection center if possible. Better still, see if your city or town hosts a pumpkin smashing event and have fun tossing yours on the ground with your friends. Don't worry, the remains will be collected and composted once all the gourds have been smashed.
There are many other ways to ensure the fruit does not end up in landfills. Fill your hollowed-out pumpkins with grains and leave them in the yard or hanging from a tree for birds, squirrels, and other garden critters to enjoy. If your pumpkin is too far gone to salvage, bury it in your backyard — your garden will be all the happier for it.
Have a safe and sustainable Halloween!
Resources: sciencealert.com, theatlantic.com, hubbub.org.uk
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220 Comments
Mr. Ezraover 3 yearsLast Halloween, I carved a pumpkin for the first time, and now that I think about it, I think it will be my last.
texasgal2011over 3 years#savethepumpkins
ypebeastover 3 yearsmaybe you can make a pumpkin cookie? idk prolly would taste good
11008800over 3 yearsDon't waste food. Some people in this world can't afford eating a lot of food. Don't waste but donate!!
midnightjp5577over 3 yearsAfter we are done with are pumpkins we put them in are compost and it helps are garden and we always get good stuff out of are garden when we compost so it not a waste for me. We do eat pumpkins there are good i love anything pumpkin.
jake317over 3 yearsWhy didn't we make pumpkin soup for Britain?
donut_dollyover 3 years#save the pumkins
leasmith2010over 3 yearsDon't waste food guys! We have to save the pumpkins AND the world.
taco_pizzaover 3 years#Save the pumpkins!!!!! (:
kalan12011over 3 yearsi like carving pumpkins