Once Halloween is over, West Oxfordshire residents can recycle their unwanted pumpkins as part of their weekly food waste collection service.
Pumpkins can either be left alongside waste and recycling bins on collection day, or cut into pieces and placed inside the food bin.
Steve Good, Cabinet Member for Environment said, “Although carving pumpkins is part of the fun of Halloween, a scary fact is that a quarter of those bought end up in the waste bin. We want to avoid this and so are reminding everyone that pumpkins can be collected alongside their food waste bins. They are then taken, along with other food waste, to the local processing plant near Cassington to be recycled into electricity and fertiliser.”
Carved pumpkins that are still edible can be used for cooking – see the Love Food, Hate waste website (www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for recipe ideas.
For more information about waste and recycling in West Oxfordshire, or to order a FREE food waste bin and kitchen caddy, see www.westoxon.gov.uk/bins or call 01993 861000.