Don't let your pumpkins haunt the county landfill - Solid Waste recommends composting them

As Halloween fades, and the pumpkins or jack-o’-lanterns on your porch lose their glow, the Deschutes County Department of Solid Waste, Cascade Disposal and Republic Services urge you to give the squash a second life by composting them instead of tossing them in the trash.

More than 1 billion pounds of pumpkin waste end up in the landfills each year. That’s a problem because pumpkins, and other organic waste cannot break down effectively in a landfill environment. The waste releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

By composting your pumpkins, you can return valuable nutrients to the earth rather than letting them go to waste. Be sure to remove any paint, glitter, decorations, candles or wax before composting carved or decorated pumpkins. If pumpkins are painted or other items can’t be removed, the pumpkins can’t be composted and should go in the garbage.

 Deschutes County residents have several options to compost pumpkins:

• Yard debris/food waste carts: If you have a yard debris cart provided by either Cascade Disposal or Republic Services, you can toss your pumpkins into the cart and they will be brought to Deschutes Recycling for commercial composting.

• Free drop-off at Republic Services and Cascade Disposal offices: Republic Services and Cascade Disposal are offering a free pumpkin drop-off at their office locations on Friday, Nov.1, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Monday, Nov. 4, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Look for carts marked “Decompose-O-Lantern”. 

• Free drop-off at Deschutes Recycling: On Saturday, Nov. 2 and Sunday, Nov. 3, from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., residents can drop-off pumpkins for composting free of charge at Deschutes Recycling, located at Knott Landfill, 61050 SE 27th St. in Bend.

• Backyard Compost: Residents can compost pumpkins in backyard compost bins or piles. Visit The Rethink Waste Project for additional backyard composting tips and resources, including how to get started.

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Media contact:

Jackie Wilson, Solid Waste Community Outreach Coordinator

(541) 617-4761