The toothy grin is starting to sag, wrinkles are deepening and it’s been days since a candle illuminated your jack-o’-lantern’s hand-carved expression – while trashing it may be tempting, experts say there are better ways to dispose of your old pumpkin.
Instead, take that pumpkin to a compost site, use it in a garden or set it in an appropriate place as wildlife food.
A decomposing pumpkin in a landfill eventually turns into methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that has more than 20 times the warming effect of carbon dioxide (CO2),according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
(And don’t forget to crack open your old Jack-o-lanterns so the heads of deer, raccoons & other critters don’t get stuck in the holes!)
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Image