DENVER (KDVR) — After the sunny fall weather left and the cold and snow moved in, the pumpkin on your front porch might not be doing so well. Before trash day comes, make sure you are properly disposing of your pumpkins.
While you could just throw your pumpkin in the trash, there are plenty of sustainable ways to reuse a pumpkin, like cooking or planting it.
If you are fully ready to say goodbye to your fall pumpkin, follow these eco-friendly practices.
How to throw out your pumpkins
Do:
- Compost
The city of Fort Collins recommends composting the pumpkin in your backyard or through a local composting system. Some other cities provide composting systems. The city of Denver supplied residents with green bins earlier this summer.
- Donate them to ranches
Local ranches will take pumpkins as animal feed. However, if there is paint or wax on the pumpkin, the ranches won’t take it because it’s toxic to the animals, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
- Pumpkin drop-off events
CPW also recommends pumpkin drop-off events if you don’t want to compost the pumpkins yourself. Many communities host events every year.
Don’t:
- Leave out your pumpkin for wildlife
Leaving your pumpkin can attract unwanted wildlife, said CPW. Bears are especially attracted to pumpkins, as they are looking to add on a few more pounds before the winter season.
- Feed your pumpkin to wildlife
While you can donate your pumpkin to a ranch, CPW asks people not to feed it to wildlife themselves. With multiple animals congregating at a feeding source, it can actually spread disease and hurt more than help.
Don’t let your pumpkin rot on your porch after Halloween. Use these tips to sustainably throw them out.
