October is the Halloween time. The spooky time of the year is the most anticipated. Maybe the second most anticipated one after Christmas. The pumpkin carvings can be seen everywhere. But these pumpkins usually end up in the trash after the festival. That’s a lot of waste!
More than a quarter of all Halloween pumpkins end up being thrown away – that’s 18,000 tonnes of food – and many more go straight into the compost bin without being eaten.
But there are a plenty of ways to utilize these pumpkins and transform organic waste into useful ways.
Eat it
The best way to get rid of pumpkins is to eat it. There are plenty of dishes pumpkins can be made into. Soups, truffles, coffee, brownies, chips…pumpkins can be used easily in preparing the best food. Also, pumpkin is good for health.
Pumpkin Beauty
Pumpkins are packed with vitamins such as niacin, which can help clear acne and improve circulation, and zinc, which promotes skin renewal. They are a brilliant choice for face masks and scrubs.
Seed Snack
Pumpkin seeds make a delicious snack. Toast them and the brittle seeds are ready to be served with a little seasoning. There are many ways to prepare them.
Composting
Leaving the leftovers to compost is best for soil because pumpkins can easily biodegrade. Cut up the leftovers of your pumpkin – this will speed up composting time and put it into the pile.
“While Halloween is clearly a time to have fun we are asking residents to think about the environmental impact of the pumpkin waste. We ask families to keep food waste to a minimum all year round, but it’s particularly important at festival times such as Halloween, which can be expensive, that we make the most of our money and our food. That’s why it is so important for residents to find ways of eating pumpkins or composting or recycling them.” Andrew Lee, an Executive Member for Waste Management, said.