Transform Your Jack-o-Lantern from Orange to Green this Halloween

It’s that time of the year again when residents pick the perfect pumpkins to carve up for Halloween. But after the ghouls, goblins and ghosts return from whence they came, these same pumpkins are often thrown away with regular trash. Keeping this in mind, Waste Management of North County and Coast Waste Management are inviting residents to transform their Halloween from orange to green by converting their unwanted pumpkins to compost.

“As the nation’s largest residential recycler, Waste Management is always looking for ways to make everyone’s holiday celebrations a little greener,” said Eloisa Orozco, spokesperson for Waste Management of Southern California. “Taking unwanted pumpkins after Halloween and turning them into compost is a great way to give back to the environment. Organic materials such as pumpkins are an excellent source of nutrients that are essential for plant growth. By composting these pumpkins, we’re ensuring that the cycle of life continues in as naturally as possible.”

To ensure that expertly carved pumpkins are brought back to life properly, residents should remove any materials such as candles, glow sticks and non-vegetative decorations and place the pumpkin in their green waste cart.

The following are additional tips to help reduce, reuse and recycle this Halloween.

• Bake the pumpkin seeds: Pumpkin seeds make a delicious treat. When carving jack-o-lanterns this year, save the seeds and roast them afterward. This is an easy, fun and tasty way to use up every little bit of the pumpkin and create a healthy snack too.

• Do it Yourself decorations. Use repurposed materials from the recycling bin to make unique Halloween decor. Creating your own hair-raising decorations will put less stress on your wallet and the planet.
• Hold a costume exchange party. Halloween costumes are often worn only once. By trading costumes with a friend, last year’s outfit can get another wear and you can get something new.
• Leave the car at home. Orange may be the color of the season but you can still think green this Halloween! Rather than driving to other neighborhoods, stay close to home and trick-or-treat in your neighborhood to reduce fuel consumption and air pollution.
• Trick or treat with recyclable bags. Canvas, cloth or other reusable bags are an earth-friendly and affordable alternative to plastic jack-o-lantern buckets. Decorate recyclable bags or old pillowcases with spooky scenes to create a one-of-a-kind carryall to take home sweet treats.
• Leave only footprints after trick-or-treating. Candy wrappers are a big source of litter on the streets this season. Dispose of your own wrappers and carry an extra bag to pick up garbage along the way. Your neighborhood will thank you for this environmental trick.