Eat it first. Most carving pumpkins are edible. The flesh works in soup, curry or pie, and the seeds roast up nicely. Recycle Now's advice is to eat what you can and only throw away the bits you can't.
Got a food waste collection? Use it. Uneaten food and vegetable peelings can go in your food caddy, and that includes pumpkin. Before you do:
- Take out candles, tea lights and any melted wax.
- Peel off stickers, glitter, paint or anything else that isn't pumpkin.
- Chop it into smaller chunks so it fits and breaks down more easily.
- No liquids or packaging in the caddy.
No food caddy? Compost it. If your council doesn't collect food waste yet, plain pumpkin can go in a home compost bin, chopped up so it rots down faster. Mid Sussex District Council also suggests burying it in the garden.
Painted or decorated pumpkins. Anything painted, glittered or covered in glue isn't food any more. Check your council's advice. It will usually go in your general waste bin.
Check your council. What goes in your food caddy, and when it's collected, depends on where you live. Find your council in WhatBins and you'll see your next collection days. Check your council's website for the exact rules on food waste.
Life's hectic. Never miss a bin day.