Carving pumpkins with friends and family is one of our absolute favorite fall activities we love to partake in, but did you know that 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins reach landfills every year?! When Halloween is over, don’t let your Jack O’Lantern meet the scary fate of the landfill - here are seven ways to recycle your favorite holiday pumpkin.
Have your Halloween + Eat Your Pumpkin Too
Roast your pumpkin seeds for a delicious snack. Pumpkin seeds are full of amazing nutrients for your body, and we love this Spicy Roasted Pepitas recipe by Sweet Potato Soul.
Create a Pumpkin Planter + Nourish Your Garden
Pumpkins can make the perfect containers for fall flowers and veggies like pansies and kale. Place the pumpkin planters on your porch for decoration or plant the pumpkin directly in soil for extra nourishment. (Just make sure the seeds are removed if you don’t want to start your own pumpkin patch!)
Compost Your Pumpkin
If you don’t compost at home, check your local municipality because some areas will collect pumpkins with yard waste. Otherwise, if you have a yard, you can compost your pumpkin right at home. For carved pumpkins, make sure you remove candles and any lingering wax. Cut your pumpkin into pieces or smash it directly on soil. Cover it with a layer of leaves and dirt. Then, let nature take over.
Drop Your Pumpkin At Koko
If composting your pumpkin yourself isn’t something you’re interested in, that’s totally okay - we’ll do the work for ya. From Wednesday, November 3 through Sunday, November 7 we’ll be collecting pumpkins at our Koko locations to compost properly. Bring your pumpkin in and get 10% off your purchase! Please no painted pumpkins, and be sure to check your local store hours as they’ve changed recently.
Feed Your Local Animal Friends
Cut your pumpkin into pieces and leave them outside as food for your animal neighbors. You can also make bird seed by removing and drying the seeds from your pumpkin before leaving out the pieces for larger animals. Lay the seeds on a shallow bird feeder or mix the pumpkin seeds with existing bird seed.
Donate Your Pumpkin
Did you know you can donate your pumpkin?! It’s true - some zoos and farms across the country will accept donated pumpkins to feed their animals.
Make a Pumpkin Mask or Lip Scrub
We love a self care moment, and you’ve probably heard about making a pumpkin face mask, but Byrdie posted seven (yes, 7!!) DIY pumpkin beauty recipes. We love the lip scrub and bath bomb recipes from this list.
