Help us reduce the ‘terrifying’ amount of food waste that could end up in our black bins this Halloween
We're asking for help to reduce food waste this Halloween by using some of handy tips to get rid of the used pumpkins responsibly.
Rutland County Council is calling on residents to help reduce food waste this Halloween by using some of our handy tips to get rid of the used pumpkin carcasses responsibly.
Recent results have shown that over 40% of waste in our black bins is food waste. Rutland County Council is therefore urging residents to get behind our Waste Less, Recycle More campaign and help reduce those figures.
"According to Love Food Hate Waste, 12.8 million pumpkins bought for decoration during Halloween are likely to be left uneaten, and around 67% of UK families throw away at least one pumpkin each! This is a scary fact when considering pumpkins will likely be added to the already high levels of food waste in our black bins this year. We want to ensure that residents in Rutland are eating the pumpkins they are buying and disposing of their carcasses in an environmentally friendly way."
Cllr Christine Wise, Cabinet Member for Transport, Environment and Communities
To make sure pumpkins don’t significantly add to our food waste levels in our black bins this Halloween you can:
- cut your pumpkin into chunks and bury in soil 20cm below ground level, this acts as a great feast for worms and bugs!
- compost your pumpkin (cut in to chunks to aid) either in your compost heap or via a compost bin
- turn your pumpkin into a bird feeder, as long as the pumpkin is far enough away from the ground, this will work a treat!
Before using any of these tips, please make sure any stickers and candle wax are removed off your pumpkin.
By taking a short amount of time to dispose of pumpkins properly, we can help reduce the millions of pumpkins each year that are added to our household waste.
Don’t forget too that when carving your pumpkin to use the inside for delicious recipes. Make sure you hollow it out as much as possible, only leaving a thin outer shell, not only will you have more food for your family but you’ll also find your lantern shines a lot brighter!
Find lots of good ways to use pumpkin in your next meal by searching for ‘pumpkin’ on the national Love Food Hate Waste website.
Recycling in Rutland
- all household recycling needs to be clean, dry and placed loose into your grey bin. Please don’t tie it up in bags as this makes it harder to sort and process once collected. The only exception to this is at Christmas, when households are provided with a blue bag for extra recycling.
- recycle all over the house. Studies show lots of families only recycle food packaging and kitchen items. Living rooms, toilets and bedrooms are full of excellent recycling, much of which ends up in black household waste bins. See our Waste and recycling A to Z guide
- don't put textiles like clothes, towels or bedding in your grey bin. Don’t just put them in your black bin, though. You can dispose of textiles at our Cottesmore and North Luffenham Recycling Centres, at charity shops, or in charity bag collections that are posted through letter boxes
- we can’t recycle disposable nappies, so please make sure they're thrown away in your black bin. Alternatively, try switching to reusable nappies. They’re kinder to the environment, will save you money and will help us reduce our black bin waste! We have free trial kits available for residents interested in giving them a go.
