Pumpkins. (Photo by Freddie Collins, Unsplash)
Your jack-o’-lantern can help grow next season’s crops instead of contributing to landfill waste. I Love A Clean San Diego and San Diego County are encouraging residents to give their jack-o’-lanterns a sustainable afterlife by placing them in the green organic waste bin.
According to the USDA, more than 1 billion pounds of pumpkins end up in landfills across the country each year. When organic waste like pumpkins are buried, it decomposes without oxygen and produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
Here in San Diego County, pumpkins belong in your green organic waste bin. Under California’s organic waste recycling law, Senate Bill 1383, residents are required to place food scraps, yard trimmings and other organic materials into their curbside green bins for composting or recycling. This ensures organic waste is diverted from landfills and transformed into nutrient-rich compost that supports local farms, gardens, and landscaping.
Preparing your pumpkin for composting is easy. Start by removing all decorations such as candles, wax, stickers, glitter or paint, or anything else that won’t naturally break down. Then, place your pumpkin into the green organic waste bin, either loose, in a paper bag, or layered with yard trimmings.
Organic waste makes up nearly 40% of what San Diego County residents send to landfills. Redirecting that waste into the green bin not only reduces methane emissions but also creates valuable compost that enriches local soil and conserves water.
I Love A Clean San Diego is an environmental nonprofit that has supported residents and businesses of San Diego County through youth and adult education and local action through volunteer events and workshops since 1954. For more information, to volunteer or donate, visit cleansd.org or call 619-291-0103.
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