At LiveWest, we are Creating Greener Futures Together. We are working with our customers and partners to ensure sustainability lies at the heart of our organisation, shaping healthier futures across our communities.
Every month, we share some of our favourite green advice, to help our customers and colleagues live more sustainably.
This month we are sharing advice on what to do with your pumpkin after Halloween, helping you reduce food waste, protect wildlife, and have a scarily-good Halloween!
As well as being a great Halloween decoration, pumpkins are also a food. Yet, as few as one in nine people cook their pumpkin after Halloween, according to sustainability campaign group, Hubbub.
Every Halloween, 15.8 million pumpkins are wasted - that’s enough for 95 million meals. Now that’s scary!
Food waste creates 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 every year, contributing to climate change. You can learn more about food waste in our Slow Cook, Low Waste recipe booklet.
So, instead of throwing away your leftover pumpkin this Halloween, why not try one of these sustainable ideas to reduce food waste and help wildlife?
Eat the seeds
After removing the seeds from your pumpkin, rinse them, drizzle with oil and season with your favourite spices, then roast for a healthy snack or a crunchy topping for soups and salads. Try this recipe to get started.
Cook the pieces of pumpkin you carve out
All those triangles we cut out of our pumpkins to give them their scary faces can be saved and added to your dinner. Just place any scraps of pumpkin into a bowl in your fridge, then season and roast them. Add to pasta, risotto, stir-fry, or whatever you’re having for dinner!
The rest of your pumpkin will also be fine to eat for a few hours if left somewhere cool and dry, but pumpkins which have been carved and left outside with a candle in them are no longer safe to eat. This is because the warmth from the candle provides the perfect environment for air-borne bacteria and mould to grow.
Keep reading to find out the best way to get rid of pumpkins after they have been lit and left outside.
Cook uncarved pumpkins – they also look great in your home!
There are a whole range of edible pumpkins, not just the classic orange variety sold in the supermarket for carving at Halloween. Many of these other varieties are tastier than the ones sold for carving, so are better to cook with.
By not carving them to go outside, you can cook and eat the whole pumpkin (excluding the stalk). There are so many delicious recipes you can make with your pumpkin, from soup and risotto to pie and even cake.
Uncarved pumpkins are also great seasonal decorations for your home, and come in a range of shapes, sizes, and colours!
If you decide to carve your pumpkin, put a candle in it and place it outside as a decoration, there are still lots of eco-friendly ways to get rid of your pumpkin after Halloween:
Feed leftover pumpkin to your chickens
If you have chickens, they may enjoy eating leftover pumpkin. You can feed them the seeds and the flesh that you scrape out of the pumpkin when carving it, as well as the rest of the pumpkin the day after Halloween. Cutting the pumpkin in half will make it easier for your chickens to enjoy it.
It is best to feed any leftover pumpkin to your chickens within a day or two of carving, before mould and bacteria build up. You should remove any leftover pumpkin from your chicken coop before dark so as not to attract pests.
Compost your pumpkin
Turn your leftover pumpkin into nutrient rich compost. Make sure you chop up the pumpkin before adding it to your compost bin, to help it break down.
Make a pumpkin bird feeder
Cut the top off your pumpkin, turning it into a bowl, then add bird seed. Hang with twine and enjoy watching the birds. Compost the remaining pumpkin afterwards.
Bury your pumpkin
You can bury your pumpkin directly in the soil to break down and provide nutrients for your garden. Cutting the pumpkin up first will help it to break down faster. Make sure you have removed the seeds before burying, or you may end up with your own pumpkin patch next Autumn!
Check if local farms are looking for donations
If you don’t have a garden or allotment, you may be able to donate your pumpkin to a local farm, zoo, or community garden.
What not to do with your leftover pumpkin
Please don’t leave your pumpkins in woodland or other local green spaces. Although some wildlife may enjoy eating pumpkin, it can make other animals very sick, and could also spread disease.
Leaving your pumpkin in the street or in your garden until it rots will attract pests. As soon as your pumpkin starts to rot you must dispose of it properly.
