Compost Your Pumpkins, Help The Earth: WeHa

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Local officials Monday said the days following Halloween are not the time to just dump your old rotting pumpkins in the garbage.

They can, even, be useful afterwards.

The West Hartford Department of Public Works will offer an organics barrel to collect pumpkins from Monday, Oct. 31 through Sunday, Nov. 20.

"If you can’t compost in your backyard, please drop-off your pumpkins in this pumpkin container," wrote the Town of West Hartford. "Organic material is never allowed in trash or recycling."

Town officials said composting pumpkins is a great opportunity for West Hartford residents to reduce the amount of trash sent to incinerators and, increasingly, out of state.

Collected pumpkins will be sent to Quantum Biopower in Southington and turned into compost and bio-fuel.

Local officials said no plastic bags, trash or recyclables should be put in the organics container and all candles should be removed. Painted pumpkins are ok.

Local officials said folks might want to consider organizing a neighborhood carpooling of pumpkins to one of the drop-off sites.

West Hartford drop-off sites are:

• Department of Public Works, 17 Brixton St., West Hartford.

• Westmoor Park, 119 Flagg Road, West Hartford (Don't feed pumpkins to farm animals.)