Newtown residents are being urged to recycle their pumpkins after today's Halloween events.
Powys County Council says it wants to avoid the pumpkins going into landfill and instead recycled with food waste.
"It’s a scary stat that Powys residents will go through around 15,000 pumpkins this Halloween, creating around 75 tonnes of extra food waste in the process," said a council spokesperson.
"The vast majority of these pumpkins will be used purely for decoration and won’t even be eaten."
Powys County Council’s Recycling and Waste Team are reminding the county’s that as well as using the shells for carving, they can also make use of the insides of the pumpkins to make many delicious recipes such as pumpkin soup, pumpkin tart or even pumpkin lasagne. Seeds can even be baked for a delicious snack.
Any bits of the pumpkin that aren’t used, including the shell, can simply be recycled by using the weekly household food waste collection service.
"Not only will this stop food waste going into landfill, it can create green energy and produce an environmentally-sustainable fertiliser to help Welsh farmers grow more food," added the spokesperson.
Cllr Phyl Davies, Cabinet Member for Recycling and Waste, said: “Most people in Powys recycle their food waste every week so it’s really simple to do your bit by recycling yours along with any extra food waste from Halloween.
“It’s a spooky stat that for every ten tonnes of food waste we recycle, we help to create enough green electricity to power the average household for a year.
“Simply put your pumpkins in or alongside your food caddy and we will pick it up and get it sent off to be recycled.
“Recycling food waste using our weekly collection service is cleaner, greener and more cost-effective for everyone. It also helps support Wales' drive to create more green energy by feeding anaerobic digestion plants.”
More information on food waste, recycling, your kerbside recycling containers, or for handy hints and tips on what can and can’t be recycled visit www.powys.gov.uk/recycling
For recipe ideas visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
Photo courtesy of Mark Dufell
