Something you may not have not given much thought to before is Halloween Pumpkin Recycling. Halloween is just around the corner and people are getting ready to celebrate with candy, costumes, and, of course, pumpkins. Whether it’s using them in your favorite baked goods or making a spooky jack-o-lantern, pumpkins are a quintessential part of the Halloween spirit.
Did you know there are more than 1.4 billion pounds of pumpkin produced in the US each year.
That means once the spookiest day of the year is over, there are a lot of pumpkins to be dealt with.
This is why we are encouraging people to reuse their leftover pumpkins this year with some ideas on how to get creative with your old and tired jack-o-lanterns.
Check out our list of 11 Halloween pumpkin recycling ideas and transform your home, garden and yourself in the process.
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Halloween Pumpkin Recycling
- Feed Your Pumpkins to Your Pets
- Bake Pumpkin Dog Biscuits
- Transform Your Pumpkins into Planters or Vases
- The Perfect Garden Compost
- Create a Bird Feeder
- (Trick or) Treat the Wildlife in Your Garden
Did you know pumpkins are great, healthy snacks for your dogs (if they aren’ too fussy of course). They are full of vitamins and are a great source of fiber so good for digestion. You could just chop up your leftover pumpkins and give it as an occasional treat, cook it into puree to mix in with their food, you can even freeze the pumpkin cubes for longer-lasting snacks.
Speaking of our four legged friends, you can use leftover Jack-O-Lanterns for baking dog treats too. Baking these dog biscuits is easy. There are actually many different recipes you can try to test which one will be your doggo’s favorite.
If your pumpkin has still got a little life in it, you can use it to create lovely fall flower displays. Just add florists foam (or soil if you want to plant up some succulents) and then arrange your flowers.
What might be the easiest Halloween pumpkin recycling idea is putting them into the soil in your garden. Composting is free and easy, it enriches the soil, and lowers the prevalence of garden pests all while eliminating the need to buy fertilizer.
If you already have a composting system at home, then you probably don’t need to be told to chuck your old pumpkins in there after Halloween. If you don’t yet compost, and you’re lucky enough to have a garden (no matter how small), then maybe you should think about starting up a compost heap or buying a composting bin. It is very easy and will drastically reduce the amount of waste you send to landfill.
Birds love pumpkins – they’re full of nutrients to help them stay strong during the winter months. Plus, now you can become an avid birdwatcher from your kitchen window.
These are incredibly simple to make.
First cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the middle (if you’ve already carved the pumpkin for Halloween jack-o-lantern then no need to scoop it out more – just cut through the middle.
Create a cradle to hand your pumpkin out of string or rope (or see if you can poke some holes in the base if that is easier). Fill the pumpkin bowl with bird food or if you have pumpkin seeds leftover dry them out in the oven for 10 minutes-15 minutes and add them to your new zero waste pumpkin bird feeder.
If you don’t want to do any of these things with your leftover pumpkins (or you have enough to try everything on the list), then simply leave them around your garden. Your family can peak out the window and watch them get munched by birds, groundhogs, or even deer.
If you don’t have a garden, check to see if you can give away your pumpkin to feed animals at your local farm or zoo, as most animals love pumpkin!
