The Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service (GCSWS) is launching a mission to rescue pumpkins from decomposing on doorsteps and recycle them, potentially sparing residents the sight of mouldy gourds throughout November. It is estimated that over half of the 30 million pumpkins carved in the UK this year will end up in landfill.
Cllr Laurence Damary-Homan, Lead Cabinet Member for Environment at South Cambridgeshire District Council, stated, “We’re determined to change the fate of Halloween pumpkins as landfill really is a horror story for them – they become the ultimate villains and release climate-damaging methane gas. By recycling them with food waste we can turn them into heroes – capturing that gas and using it as renewable energy and making bio fertiliser to grow more crops.”
While GCSWS encourages residents to eat their pumpkins by sharing recipes for soup, curry, and risotto, the service is preparing to collect as many as possible in or alongside Food Waste Caddies. Cllr Rosy Moore, Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Environment at Cambridge City Council, added, “The best place for pumpkin is in your next meal, but the next best place is in your compost heap or Food Waste Caddy. We recognise that there may not be space if your caddy is already full, so for the first time we are allowing households to place their pumpkin in a regular-sized carrier bag and leave it next to their Caddy for collection. This service will apply for one week only for households in Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire that have weekly food waste collections, for collections between the 3rd to the 6th of November.”
Households can place out only one bag per household, and excessively large or heavy pumpkins will not be collected. For households where weekly food waste collections have not yet started, pumpkins will be accepted in green wheelie bins, where they will end up as compost. The service also advises against leaving pumpkins in gardens or woodlands for wildlife, as they are not natural food for native species and can cause harm.
