The frightful waste behind Jack o’lanterns

Gloucestershire’s Joint Waste Team is encouraging residents to recycle their Jack o’ lanterns once the celebrations are over.

Pumpkins make an excellent addition to a home compost heap but anyone living in one of the five Gloucestershire local authority areas offering a weekly food waste collection service, can easily recycle their leftover pumpkins at the kerbside. 

Residents need only remove candles and tea lights before carefully cutting up the pumpkin and placing it inside their food waste caddy. 

Crews operating in the Forest of Dean will also pick up larger pumpkins left outside of the black food caddy if presented. 

Cotswold residents can opt to put their food waste out for collection in their garden waste bin if they have subscribed to this service.

With the average carved pumpkin weighing 5kgs and with one in five properties now purchasing a pumpkin as part of the annual festivities, the Joint Waste Team believes that by residents recycling this year’s pumpkins up to 180 tonnes of waste could be diverted from landfill; a weight equivalent to 23 double decker buses.

Councillor Martin Quaile, Chair of Gloucestershire’s Joint Waste Committee and portfolio holder for the Environment at the Forest of Dean District Council said: ‘Halloween is clearly a time for fun and many families will be thinking about carving a pumpkin together, however, with sales growing year on year, it is increasingly important that pumpkins are not forgotten when it comes to recycling and composting.  Halloween can be an ideal opportunity for parents to introduce younger children to these very important environmental messages.’ 

‘It is hard to know exactly how many pumpkins end up in Gloucestershire’s landfill sites but what’s not in doubt is that this figure will be in the tens of thousands,’ he added.

Recipes can be found on the national Love Food Hate Waste website (http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/) for those wanting to try something new in the kitchen, including roast pumpkin lasagne, pumpkin ravioli and pumpkin and coriander soup.

Recent changes to the way food waste is disposed of has made recycling even easier.   Residents in the Forest of Dean, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and Gloucester City can now use plastic carrier bags or pedal bin liners to line their food waste caddies.  We hope this development will help residents already using the service to continue doing so and encourage anyone who has considered having to buy special compostable bags as a barrier to participation will now give it a go.’

 ‘Spook-tacular’ offers on compost bins
Gloucestershire residents can still purchase compost bins for the subsidised rate of £8.49 for a 220litre bin and £9.99 for a 330litre bin.  Both bins are available to purchase on a ‘buy one get one half price’ basis, so why not share with a friend?  To order a bin simply call 0844 571 4444 or buy online at: http://www.recycleforgloucestershire.com/.  A £5.99 delivery charge applies.

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Notes to editor:  Stroud District Council is the only authority in Gloucestershire not currently offering a food waste collection service.
Residents of the Cotswolds cannot use carrier bags to line their caddies but can continue to use cornstarch bags or newspaper, or put kitchen waste in the garden waste bin (if they subscribe to this service).  Cotswold food waste is processed with garden waste using a separate composting process which cannot deal with plastic (or similar).

 

The Joint Waste Partnership provides waste and recycling services on behalf of Cheltenham Borough Council, Cotswold District Council, Forest of Dean District Council and Gloucestershire County Council. 
Photo shows: Martin Quaile, Chair of Gloucestershire’s Joint Waste Committee and portfolio holder for the Environment at the Forest of Dean District Council.

Contact: Marsha Llewellyn, Environmental Promotions Officer, Joint Waste Team, Forest of Dean District Council, Council Offices, High St, Coleford GL16 8HG.  Tel: 01594 812428.  Email: [email protected]