Caerphilly Residents Can ‘Go Green’ This Halloween

Caerphilly residents are being encouraged to ‘go green’ this Halloween by recycling their leftover pumpkins. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Carving pumpkins is a Halloween custom, creating frightening faces to decorate the most ghoulish of gatherings has become a gruesome tradition that all the family enjoys. However, this creepy craft creates a lot of waste, most of which can be reused and recycled. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Once hollowed out, the flesh of a pumpkin can be used to make a delicious soup, pumpkin pie or roasted pumpkin risotto. Pumpkin also makes a great alternative to sweet potato. Pumpkin seeds can be toasted and make a tasty, healthy addition to soups, pasta, salad or even muesli. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

When Halloween is over, the shell of a pumpkin can be chopped up and placed in a residents food caddy for recycling, or if there isn’t enough space, left on the top of the caddy on the day of collection. Residents are reminded to remove and candles and wax from the pumpkin so it can be recycled. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cllr. Nigel George, Cabinet Member for Community & Leisure Services said: “Pumpkin carving is a highlight of Halloween for many families. The majority of pumpkins sold in the UK are now used for this tradition and it’s a shame to think that so much food will go to waste. I’d encourage residents to give recipes using pumpkins a go, and to take full advantage of their food caddies when disposing of any leftover waste. Together we can ‘go green’ this Halloween by recycling more and sending less to landfill.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​