How to recycle your pumpkins after Halloween. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Once all the trick-or-treating is over you may be wondering what to do with all your Halloween pumpkins. According to the Energy Department, about 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins end up in landfills.
When Jack-o’-lanterns may be looking a little shriveled and sunken but they can still can be useful!
Toasted pumpkin seeds make a healthy snack, and you can use fresh pumpkin puree in any recipe that calls for the canned version. Keep in mind that one 2-1/2 pound pumpkin is equivalent to about 15 ounces canned pumpkin—the standard grocery store can.
There are plenty of places that may take them off your hands. Donate leftover pumpkins to zoos, animal shelters, farms, or community gardens.
You can also turn Halloween pumpkin into a bird feeder. Just cut a pumpkin in half horizontally, empty the cavity, and fill it with birdseed. Either leave it out as is or hang it from a tree with several lengths of thick twine or rope wrapped under the base.
Pumpkins also make a great addition to your compost pile.