Pumpkin Composting Resumes This Fall In Fairfax City

Press release from the City of Fairfax :

10/18/2022 2:21 PM

What’s scarier than Halloween? Millions of rotting pumpkins are thrown in the trash each November, adding more than 1.3 billion of pounds of organic waste to municipal refuse! There is a more sustainable way to manage discarded fall décor.

For the fourth consecutive year, Fairfax City is promoting composting as a sustainable alternative to placing organic Halloween decorations in the trash. Fairfax City encourages residents to do their part to reduce organic waste by composting pumpkins and jack-o’-lanterns this fall.

Residents may drop off pumpkins, jack-o’-lanterns, gourds, painted pumpkins, and other decomposable food décor at the City of Fairfax Composting Center, located adjacent to the community gardens at City Hall (10455 Armstrong St). Pumpkins can also be composted in backyard composters, or even buried in the backyard. Inorganic items that cannot be composted, such as candles, foil, lights, or plastic decorations, should be removed first.

To protect the health and safety of wildlife and residential populations, pumpkins residents are asked to not dispose of pumpkins or food waste in the woods or parks.

For more information on composting in Fairfax City, or how to dispose of pumpkins, visit the city’s composting page, or email composting@fairfaxva.gov.

This press release was produced by the City of Fairfax. The views expressed here are the author’s own.