Carving a pumpkin this weekend? Waltham Forest Council wants your leftovers to end up in the soup pot or the food waste caddy, not the general bin.
According to the council, around 95 per cent of the ten million pumpkins grown in the UK are thrown away after they've been carved into Halloween lanterns.
Its suggestion is simple: rather than throwing out the insides of your lantern, turn them into a soup, stew or pie.
And residents are already doing their bit. The council says it has collected more than 12,500 tonnes of food waste since weekly food waste collections began last year.
Easy ways to help
- Use your caddy. Chop up pumpkin scrapings and any you don't use, and put them in your food waste caddy with your other food leftovers.
- Get cooking. Recipe sites such as Love Food Hate Waste have ideas for seasonal dishes.
- Check the guidance. The North London Waste Association has tips for a more sustainable Halloween.
- Free caddy liners. Residents with kerbside collections get free food waste caddy liners and can ask for a new roll through the council's collection day system.
- Not sure what goes where? The council's recycling A to Z guide explains how to get rid of different items.
Recycling pumpkins and party leftovers helps cut food waste and "helps us boost our recycling rates together", the council says. So you can still have a spooky night and keep your rubbish from turning into a horror show.
