Halloween is coming to an end, and those spooky jack-o’-lanterns on your front porch are about to start feeling forgotten. With busy holidays coming up, you may not remember that your carved pumpkin is outside and looking a little sad (literally — its mouth will probably sag into a sad frown). Instead of letting it continue to rot away, you might think the best option is to simply throw these pumpkins in the trash before they get any worse. But this is actually not the best idea when it comes to your Halloween friends.
Since the kind of gourds we buy for carving tend to be big and heavy, they easily fill up your trash and end up straight in landfills. Pumpkins and other types of organic waste emit methane gas, according to Climate Central, which is actually 25 times more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide.
That’s right. 25 times more harmful. Yikes!
Agriculture only makes up about 9% of harmful emissions that contribute to global warming, according to the EPA. Though this may seem like a small amount, we imagine that a hefty portion of this percentage can be linked to the nearly 1.9 billion pounds of pumpkins produced each year.
Instead of throwing away your Halloween gourds, try composting them! This is a great way to recycle the pumpkin if it’s starting to go bad, since it can help boost growth in your garden. If your pumpkins are still pretty new, you can repurpose them for your favorite sweet or savory pumpkin recipes. By not throwing your pumpkins away, you’re contributing to global warming prevention and getting much more use out of your Halloween craft.
If you’re looking to create a pumpkin treat (instead of pumpkin trash), this cake mold is the perfect solution:
So Yummy
