9 Sustainable Ways to Use or Dispose Of Pumpkins After Halloween

Not sure what to do with pumpkins after Halloween? Please don’t throw them in the trash… or into the woods! There are a number of eco-friendly ways to recycle pumpkins, or even upcycle them to serve a better second purpose instead. From baked goods and dog treats to composting tips, read along to learn the 9 best sustainable ways to use or dispose of pumpkins once you’re done using them as fall decor. Plus, learn what NOT to do with pumpkins after Halloween!

The Pumpkin Waste Problem

More than 1 billion pounds of pumpkins are grown in the United States each year. The vast majority of those are used for decorations, pouring into local landfills after October 31st. Once they hit the landfill, pumpkins decompose in an anaerobic state and release methane – a powerful greenhouse gas. In fact, the International Energy Agency states that methane is more than 30 times more detrimental to our environment and climate crisis than CO2 is! Even more, landfills contribute to 14% of methane emissions in the United States.

That’s not to say we can’t enjoy a few festive pumpkins in the fall! Yet it’s important to be conscious consumers, and make an effort to dispose of pumpkins in a sustainable manner to help reduce our impact on the climate. Plus, why waste perfectly good food?

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Disposing of Whole, Painted or Carved Pumpkins

Pumpkin disposal options vary depending on the age and condition of the pumpkin, such as if it was painted or carved.

• Whole (unpainted, uncarved) pumpkins that aren’t yet rotting are ideal to eat or donate. We usually choose to leave our pumpkins whole so we can cook and preserve them.
  
• Carved pumpkins are usually best for the compost – or maybe animal treats, as long as they aren’t moldy, and if battery-operated candles were used inside. The smoke from burning regular candles will coat the inside of a pumpkin with toxic soot. Be sure to save and eat the seeds when carving pumpkin though!
  
• Disposal options for painted pumpkins are more limited, as they shouldn’t be consumed OR composted. Unfortunately, most painted pumpkins should go in the trash (unless you use a biodegradable paint that can be washed off first.) If only a portion of the pumpkin is painted, cut away the painted area and compost the rest. You can also safely harvest and eat the seeds from painted pumpkins.

Is it okay to throw a pumpkin into the woods?

No, you shouldn’t throw pumpkins in the woods. While it may sound like a nice, well-intentioned idea to toss old pumpkins into the woods or other wild spaces to naturally decompose and “feed the wildlife”, most ecologists and wildlife experts advise against it. Why?

1. Wildlife generally doesn’t need our help to find food. Pumpkin is safe for most animals to graze on, but too much could make them unwell. For instance, pumpkin can be harmful or even fatal to hedgehogs! Plus, Halloween pumpkins may have melted wax, candle wicks, paint, and other toxic or foreign objects on them. Communal snacking could also spread disease among wildlife.
   
   
2. Modern pumpkin plants aren’t native to our forests or wooded areas. Once the pumpkins decompose, the seeds are likely to sprout and grow into new (potentially invasive) plants. Introduced pumpkin vines could also spread disease to native plants.
   
   
3. The pumpkins could attract rodents, scavengers, or otherwise throw off the natural balance of wildlife in the area.

When in doubt, it’s best to leave nature as undisturbed as possible. Instead, follow these eco-friendly pumpkin disposal ideas – or other ways to use them!

What Do To With Pumpkins After Halloween (At a Glance)

1. Eat or preserve them
2. Roast pumpkin seeds to eat
3. Make healthy pumpkin dog treats
4. Make a pumpkin face mask
5. Enjoy them longer as decor
6. Donate to a local food bank or pantry (whole, in good condition)
7. Donate pumpkins to a local farm, zoo, shelter, or wildlife rescue as animal feed. Or, feed them to your own backyard chickens or farm animals!
8. Compost pumpkins at home
9. Compost through city or community pumpkin disposal programs
10. Post to your local Nextdoor, Craiglist, FB Marketplace or Buy Nothing group – someone may want them, for any number of reasons! (Bonus addition to the list)

Sustainable Ways to Use Pumpkins

Instead of composting them right away, here are several ways to recycle and USE old Halloween pumpkins that are still in good condition. 

1) Eat or Preserve Pumpkins 

One of the best ways to use pumpkins after Halloween is to eat them! Pumpkins are loaded with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals. We love to roast pumpkins (which makes them sweeter than steaming) and add the flesh to baked goods, creamy squash soup, our favorite pumpkin chili, and more. Pumpkin and winter squash can be used interchangeably in most recipes, such as butternut or kabocha. 

You can also blend roasted pumpkin flesh to make pumpkin puree, or make sweet pumpkin butter! Homemade pumpkin puree is easy to make (learn how here) and more fresh and flavorful than canned pumpkin. Use it in baked goods like pumpkin pie and sourdough pumpkin bread or muffins, or in smoothies, savory soups, sauces, stews, curry, lentils, chili, creamy pasta dishes (hellooo pumpkin raviolis) and more. 

Making pumpkin puree is a fantastic way to preserve pumpkins, as you can store pumpkin puree (or pumpkin butter) in the freezer for up to a year. To save space in the freezer, you can also make dried pumpkin powder: spread pumpkin puree out on lined food dehydrator trays, dry completely until brittle, and then grind it into a fine powder. Store pumpkin powder in the pantry and sprinkle it into a wide variety of meals.

2) Roast Pumpkin Seeds to Eat

Don’t let pumpkin seeds go to waste! Instead, scoop out the seeds and roast them. Homemade roasted pumpkin seeds are a delicious healthy snack – full of minerals, vitamins, and protein. They’re easy to make and season any way you like. 

TIP: soak pumpkin seeds in a light salt water brine overnight before roasting them. Like sprouted seeds, the soaking process helps reduce phytic acid (an anti-nutrient) and makes roasted pumpkin seeds exponentially more nutritious, crunchy, and easy to digest! 

Get our Crunchy Soaked and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe here.

3) Make Healthy Pumpkin Dog Treats

Pumpkin is a popular healthy dog treat, often added as an ingredient to dog food or served plain on its own. Most dogs LOVE pumpkin! According to PetMD, pumpkin is great for a dog’s digestive system and can help soothe both diarrhea and constipation alike. They also suggest grinding up roasted pumpkin seeds to sprinkle into dog food. 

There are a number of ways to feed pumpkin to dogs. You can give dogs homemade pumpkin puree, dry thin slices of plain fresh pumpkin in a food dehydrator to make dog treat chews (great for long term storage!), or try an easy pumpkin dog treat recipe like this one. 

4) Make a Pumpkin Face Mask

Here’s a unique way to recycle and use pumpkins after Halloween… lather it on your face! All the antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals found in pumpkin make it equally as nourishing for skin as it is to eat. This easy pumpkin face mask recipe calls for just three ingredients: pumpkin puree, honey, and lemon juice. The combination creates a hydrating, healing, antibacterial pumpkin face mask that will make your skin glow – naturally.

5) Enjoy Them Longer 

Rather than saying goodbye right after Halloween, extend the life of your pumpkins by keeping them a little longer. We love the fall vibes of having uncarved pumpkins around the house through November. Enjoy your pumpkins longer as-is, or turn them into a cute DIY pumpkin planter or pumpkin flower centerpiece (yet those only last a few days before hitting the compost too). 

One way to make pumpkins last longer is to wash them with soapy water, vinegar, or even a dilute bleach mixture when you first bring them home. Removing dirt, debris, and mold spores helps to delay natural decomposition. 

Now that we’ve covered ways to repurpose and use pumpkins at home, here are several eco-friendly pumpkin disposal options.

Sustainable Pumpkin Disposal Options

6) Donate to a Local Food Bank

If you have too many to handle, or simply aren’t up for eating Halloween pumpkins yourself, someone else likely will! Check with your local food banks, food pantry, soup kitchen, or other food donation centers to see if they’ll accept whole pumpkins that are still in good condition. Visit Feeding America or SoupPantries.org to find food banks near you. 

7) Donate to a Local Farm, Zoo, Shelter, or Wildlife Rescue

Pigs, chickens, goats, donkeys, sheep, cattle, dogs… you name it! Pumpkins are not only safe for most farm animals, but are actually a cherished healthy treat (in moderation). The flesh and seeds offer many vital nutrients and fiber that support a healthy GI system for humans and animals alike.

Our backyard chickens love to eat pumpkins. If you don’t have your own farm animals to feed pumpkins to, call around! Many local farms, zoos, animal shelters, and wildlife rescues will happily accept pumpkin disposal donations to help feed their animals – as long as the pumpkins are in decent condition and free of toxic substances.

Try searching “animal rescue near me” if you don’t have a place in mind. You could also try looking around or posting “free pumpkins” on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace – perhaps some neighbors will want them for their animals!

8) Compost at Home

Composting is a great eco-friendly way to dispose of pumpkins and decorative gourds after Halloween. Unlike in landfills, pumpkins that naturally decompose in a compost heap don’t produce methane. They break down into valuable nutrient-rich organic matter instead!

Whether you use a compost tumbler, worm bin, or a classic passive compost pile, it’s best to break up whole pumpkins into smaller chunks to speed up decomposition. Have a little post-Halloween fun by smashing pumpkins before adding them to your compost bin! Also be sure to add plenty of dry “browns” to your compost to help balance the pumpkin matter.

If you don’t have a compost pile at home, create an impromptu compost system by burying pumpkin chunks under a shallow layer of soil, leaves, and/or straw. Simply let them sit and decompose in your yard! 

Learn more composting best practices plus 6 ways to compost at home here.

9) City Compost, Green Waste, or Other Pumpkin Disposal Program

If you don’t compost at home, many municipalities will sustainably dispose of pumpkins for you via composting programs or other recycling services. For example, we can put pumpkins right in our curbside city green waste bin. Poke around online to see what government agencies, nonprofits, or other community organizations offer pumpkin recycling or composting programs in your area. Try searching “pumpkin disposal near me” and see what pops up.

Remember, please don’t compost pumpkins that have paint, glitter, or other artificial objects on them!

And that concludes this lesson on sustainable pumpkin disposal.

Well friends, that should give you plenty of eco-friendly ideas for what to do with pumpkins after Halloween. I hope you have fun baking, roasting, and composting your pumpkins. Please let us know your favorite ways to use old pumpkins in the comments, or if we missed any good ideas! If you found this information to be useful, please consider pinning or sharing this post – or leave a review or quick star rating below.