If your Halloween pumpkins are rotting on the front porch, here are some options to give them a second life and keep food waste out of the landfill.
Compost it at home
If you’ve got a compost bin or pile, cut up your pumpkins and throw them in. If you clean and dry the seeds, you can plant them next year. If you leave the seeds inside, you’ll likely have pumpkins growing in your compost bin next spring. If you don’t have a compost bin, find some helpful hints on setting one up at RecycleSpot.org.
Feed it to animals
Some local farms with livestock will gladly take your pumpkins. Pigs and hogs love them. In Kansas City, you can drop off pumpkins and other compostable food scraps at Urbavore Urban Farm. Just pull into the front parking lot at 5500 Bennington Ave., Kansas City, MO and place food waste in the dumpster. Some food waste is fed to the farm pigs and some is composted and used on their farmland. For information on acceptable items, go to Urbavore Urban Farm.
Sign up for curbside pickup
If you’re looking for a residential curbside pick-up service for all of your compostable food waste in the Kansas City metro area, check out Compost Collective KC. If you need a commercial food composting service, contact Missouri Organic Recycling. Its’ Food Residual Environmental Diversion program composts more than 16,000 tons of food annually.
Find nationwide food compost options
If you are looking for a composting service in other cities, check available services in your area here:
Photo: Urbavore Urban Farm