If those pumpkins you carved are looking a little rough, don’t just dump them in the trash says the University of Illinois Extension office. That’s the easiest way to get rid of them, but U of I Extension Horticulture Educator Chris Enroth says there are other options.
“You think about it, millions of people every year carve jack-o-lanterns and that means that there is probably billions of pumpkins that are all at once going into the landfill. If we can divert some of that out of the landfill into some type of a compost or finding a second use for that, whether it is feeding animals and livestock, that would definitely be beneficial.”
Enroth cautions that if the pumpkin is rotting and moldy, that shouldn’t be left out to feed wildlife. He says you can add the pumpkins to your compost pile if you have one or some communities are now offering “pumpkin smashes” for people to add to a municipal compost.
***Report Courtesy of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services***
