Posted on Nov 6, 2022
Ready to toss out your pumpkins? Here's how to keep them out of the landfill
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The U.S. produces lots of pumpkins each year — more than 2 billion in 2020 alone. But that year, only one fifth were used for food, which means Americans are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the gourds annually, just to toss them in the trash when Halloween ends.
So they end up in landfills, which were designed to store material — not allow them to break down. The lack of oxygen in landfills means organic matter like pumpkins produce methane gas, a greenhouse gas that's harmful for the climate.
Videos about how to responsibly dispose of your jack-o'-lanterns have been making the rounds on TikTok. Marne Titchenell, a wildlife program specialist for Ohio State University Extension, has noticed the popularity of the topic, and even told NPR that her second grader was sent home with an article about composting pumpkins.
So they end up in landfills, which were designed to store material — not allow them to break down. The lack of oxygen in landfills means organic matter like pumpkins produce methane gas, a greenhouse gas that's harmful for the climate.
Videos about how to responsibly dispose of your jack-o'-lanterns have been making the rounds on TikTok. Marne Titchenell, a wildlife program specialist for Ohio State University Extension, has noticed the popularity of the topic, and even told NPR that her second grader was sent home with an article about composting pumpkins.
Ready to toss out your pumpkins? Here's how to keep them out of the landfill
Posted from wvxu.orgPosted in these groups: 
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Halloween
Posted >1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."You can donate it. Some farms, zoos and animal shelters will accept pumpkins for animal feed. Pumpkins For Pigs matches people who want to donate their unaltered pumpkins with pigs (and other pumpkin-eating animals, the organization says on its site) in their region. The founder, Jennifer Seifert, started the project after years of guilt throwing away perfectly good pumpkins. She told NPR in an email that Pumpkins For Pigs' mission is to "reduce food waste by diverting pumpkins, gourds and other food items to farms and animal sanctuaries for feed or compost." She said that the process also brings communities together."
..."You can donate it. Some farms, zoos and animal shelters will accept pumpkins for animal feed. Pumpkins For Pigs matches people who want to donate their unaltered pumpkins with pigs (and other pumpkin-eating animals, the organization says on its site) in their region. The founder, Jennifer Seifert, started the project after years of guilt throwing away perfectly good pumpkins. She told NPR in an email that Pumpkins For Pigs' mission is to "reduce food waste by diverting pumpkins, gourds and other food items to farms and animal sanctuaries for feed or compost." She said that the process also brings communities together."
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