With an estimated 5 million pumpkins being sold nationally in the days leading up to Halloween, Richmond Council is encouraging residents to recycle their Jack o’ lanterns once the celebrations are over.

If you want to taste the delights of your pumpkin, we would encourage you to get into the kitchen and try baking something new. Recipes can be found on the national Love Food Hate Waste website including pumpkin muffins, spicy pumpkin soup and spiced pumpkin, mince and tatties.

Pumpkins also make an excellent addition to a home compost heap but residents can also use the food recycling service.

Residents need only remove candles and tea lights before carefully cutting up the pumpkin and placing it inside their food waste caddy.

As the average carved pumpkin weighs 5kgs and one in five properties are now purchasing a pumpkin as part of the annual festivities, recycling them after the occasion will save a lot of waste from being incinerated.

Cllr Martin Elengorn, Richmond Council Cabinet Member for Environment, said:

“Halloween is clearly a time for fun and many families will be thinking about carving a pumpkin together. However, with sales growing year on year, it is increasingly important that pumpkins are not forgotten when it comes to recycling and composting.

“Halloween can be an ideal opportunity for parents to introduce younger children to these very important environmental messages.”

— from a Richmond Council press release - 24 October 2018