Locals urged to recycle Halloween pumpkins

Pic: @savy_sylv

Recycle your pumpkins, locals are being urged by Croydon council.

Using the message “love food, hate waste”, Croydon council is advising people to make use of their Halloween pumpkins.

A council spokesperson said: “Pumpkins don’t just make great decorative lanterns to be thrown away after the celebrations – their flesh and seeds are great in loads of tasty recipes.”

An estimated 1.000.000 pumpkins were carved into lanterns across the UK for this year’s Halloween celebration. A typical one weighs in at around two-three kilograms, that could represent tonnes of unnecessary waste.

Councillor Phil Thomas, cabinet member for environment and highways, said: “It’s great to see people celebrating and enjoying Halloween.

“It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also a good time to remember how important it is to not throw good food away and to keep organic waste out of landfill.”

Any leftover shells should be placed out with the regular weekly food waste collections, a service introduced by the council to increase recycling rates.

However, a big number of leftover pumpkins are still expected to end up in bins around the borough.

Click here for more information on the “love food, hate waste” programme.

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