Krista Miller, Zero Waste Humboldt
The pumpkin, a native plant of the Americas, is thought to have been first cultivated as long as 9,000 years ago. Its solid, thick flesh proved ideal for storing during cold weather and in times of scarcity.
Halloween likely began 2,500 years ago with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Samhain, meaning “summer’s end” or beginning of winter, was an important time for people who survived on plants like the pumpkin grown in the fields and animals that were kept in pastures.
Early immigrants to North America learned of pumpkins from Indigenous Americans for whom pumpkin was a dietary staple. In addition to eating them, dried strips were woven into mats. Seeds were saved for future crops. Nothing was wasted. Now, of course, we have a significantly scary food waste problem.
U.S. EPA data show that food waste (pumpkin is considered food waste, not green waste) is the single most common material landfilled and incinerated in the U.S. Food waste that ends up in landfills will decompose and eventually emit methane – a greenhouse gas with more than 20 times the warming effect of carbon dioxide. If every household in the United States carves one pumpkin that goes to landfill, the estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint would be more than 1 million tons of CO2-equivalent.
So, what do we do with all of our pumpkins here?
- Garbage haulers locally cannot accept food waste because they do not hold permits to do so. Pumpkins cannot be put into “green waste” cans or green waste programs/facilities for the same reason.
- Pumpkins purchased from local farmers are often organic and can be returned to other organic meat producers (do you know someone with pigs, chickens, etc?).
- Check with your nearby community garden to see if they will accept pumpkins for their compost bins. If you haven’t asked your city for a composter (many cities provide these to residents at a low cost), then ask your neighbors who may have one, or a worm bin.
- Try one of our local compost haulers like The Local Worm Guy or Full Cycle Compost (Arcata only) who provide a pick-up service.
- Get creative – there are millions of ideas, recipes, etc. on the interwebs about what to do with pumpkin, like making canned dog food (adds an extra source of fiber – good for tummy troubles), but don’t wait too long. Pumpkin is a low acid vegetable; it very easily supports the growth of bacteria at room temperature.
- Look for pop-up collection events after the holiday. Some community groups, cities, or zoos organize festive pumpkin bashes designed to feed animals or worms.
- Feeling inspired? There are grants available! Check out CalRecycle’s Community Composting for Greenspaces grant ($300,000 allocated for Humboldt County)
Come to our next fundraiser Sunday, October 15: Upcycled Market in Fortuna, Ca. More info on our social media pages. Contact Zero Waste Humboldt for assistance, join our board (we need a grant writer!), or partner with us to flesh out this food waste specter. zerowastehumboldt@gmail.com