Overview
- Horticultural experts warn that leaving whole or mouldy pumpkins on beds or compost can create slimy, anaerobic conditions, spread fungal diseases and temporarily drain soil nutrients.
- Residents are advised to cut pumpkins into small pieces and compost them only when mixed with dry material such as leaves or cardboard, or to bury pieces a few inches deep as green manure.
- Councils including Hull are telling households to place clean pumpkin waste in food-waste caddies or brown bins and to remove candles, wax and decorations first.
- Authorities caution against leaving pumpkins out for wildlife or dumping them in woodlands because rotting flesh attracts pests and can make hedgehogs, birds and insects unwell.
- Waste guidance also stresses reduction and reuse, noting research that two-thirds of carved pumpkins still go to general waste, contributing an estimated 18,000 tonnes to landfill each year.