What to do with your pumpkin after Halloween?
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Halloween might be over, but your pumpkin doesn’t have to go straight into the bin. Whether you’ve carved a spooky masterpiece or just decorated a few gourds for the season, there are plenty of creative (and sustainable) ways to make the most of them once the festivities are done.
What’s the problem with throwing away a pumpkin?
Halloween leaves behind a surprisingly large environmental impact. In the UK alone, an estimated 22 million pumpkins are discarded each year which is around £32 million worth of edible food going to waste. Together, these pumpkins amount to roughly 18,000 tonnes and only about one in nine people actually cook and eat them.
Once pumpkins are dumped in landfill, they don’t simply vanish. As they rot, they emit methane which is a greenhouse gas around 20 times more damaging to the climate than carbon dioxide. A pumpkin left to decompose in landfill can linger for up to 20 years, while the same pumpkin could naturally break down in just a couple of months if chopped up and composted instead.
Can you eat your pumpkin after you’re done with it?
Pumpkins are full of vitamins, minerals and fibre, but you’ll want to make sure they’re clean and fresh before cooking.
If you were forward thinking when carving and saved the pumpkin flesh or seeds, you’ve already got the main ingredient for some delicious autumn recipes. BOSH! have a wide selection of pumpkin-based recipes on their website for you to choose from, our favourite is the Creamy Pumpkin Bake.
Don’t throw out those triangle eyes and toothy grins! The chunks you carve from your pumpkin can be turned into something tasty. Keep any scraps in a bowl in the fridge, then season and roast them as they’re great added to pasta, risotto, stir-fries or even blended into a smooth purée.
Just remember that carved pumpkins left outside with a candle inside are not safe to eat. The warmth from the candle encourages bacteria and mould to grow, which makes the flesh unsafe. If that’s the case, it’s time to find a more eco-friendly way to dispose of it - read on for the best options!
Feed the birds (but not the hedgehogs!)
It’s tempting to think all wildlife would appreciate a pumpkin snack, but not every animal benefits from it. In fact, for hedgehogs, pumpkin can be dangerous!
Hedgehog populations in the UK are already struggling and eating pumpkin can make them ill. The Woodland Trust warns that pumpkin can cause diarrhoea, leading hedgehogs to lose weight and dehydrate - both of which make surviving hibernation much harder.
Paul Bunton from the charity explains, “People think they’re doing something kind for wildlife - giving them an autumn treat - but actually, it can do the opposite.”
If you want to help your local hedgehogs, put out a small dish of cat food and a shallow saucer of water instead. Birds, on the other hand, can enjoy small amounts of pumpkin flesh and seeds, but just make sure the pumpkin isn’t mouldy, scorched or slimy before sharing. If it is, compost it instead. Read on for information on how to compost your pumpkin.
Compost your pumpkin
One of the best eco-friendly ways to deal with a leftover pumpkin is to compost it. Pumpkins break down easily and add valuable nutrients back into your soil. To speed things up, chop your pumpkin into smaller pieces before adding it to your compost bin or heap.
Bury your pumpkin
If you don’t have a compost bin, don’t worry! You can bury your pumpkin directly in your garden. It’ll naturally decompose and enrich the soil with nutrients. Cut it into smaller chunks first to help it break down faster and don’t forget to remove the seeds unless you’d like a surprise pumpkin patch popping up next autumn!
Eating or reusing your pumpkin not only cuts down on food waste, but it’s also a fun way to stretch the festive spirit a little longer. So, before you bin it, your pumpkin might just be the eco hero of your post-Halloween cleanup!
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