Pumpkin Composting
This fall season, Erie County has partnered with Farmer Pirates Compost to provide county residents with the opportunity to properly dispose of their holiday-related organic waste, most notably pumpkins!
Click the image for a list of participating drop-off sites, as well as a list of acceptable and unacceptable materials.
or try your hand at composting your pumpkins at home!
Tips for At-Home Pumpkin Composting:
- Smash up any pumpkin rinds and guts before mixing them into your backyard pile with plenty of carbon sources (leaves, wood chips, twigs, etc.).
- Be sure to remove any candles, wax, or lights from your spooky creation, and avoid composting any painted, glittered, or bleached pumpkins.
- Removing seeds ahead of time can help prevent growing pumpkin plants in your compost pile later on.
No home compost pile? Find a local Pumpkin Smash or pumpkin drop-off event in your area for a fun way to send your Jack-O-Lanterns off sustainably.
(Source: NYSDEC)
Composting Other Autumn Yard Waste:
✓ Fallen leaves are incredibly carbon-rich and make an excellent addition to your backyard compost pile. While a large pile of leaves will eventually decompose on its own, you could speed up this process by utilizing a tool such as a mulching mower to shred the leaves and apply them either to your compost pile, or directly to your lawn (up to 3/4ths of an inch deep, according to NYSDEC’s recommendation).
X Corn husks / Hay often have a residual amount of agrochemicals present, even in their dried-out state. For this reason, we recommend not using them in any compost due to risk of contamination.
Did you know? Yard waste is not always accepted for curbside collection. To check whether your municipality accepts yard waste, please consult the section of our homepage entitled “Recycle in Your Community”. If you find that your municipality does not accept yard waste, check out the “Yard Waste” section of Beyond The Curb for a list of resources.
Are Candy Wrappers Recyclable?
In short, no. Candy wrappers are not recyclable and should be properly disposed of in the trash.
Why Candy Wrappers Can't Go in Your Home Recycling Bin - The Scary Truth
Candy wrappers can't go in your home recycling bin because they are often made of what’s known as multi-material packaging. This means the packaging is made up of different types of materials. You’ll notice most candy wrappers have a shiny metal on the inside as compared to the outside. This helps protect and keep treats fresh, but it makes the packaging very difficult to recycle because of the challenge of separating the materials from each other.
Be sure to check your local recycling guidelines to keep scary surprises out of your recycling bin. Incorrect items in recycling bins can lead to injuries for people that work at recycling facilities and can also damage equipment and slow down the recycling process.
(Source: NYSDEC)
Halloween Costumes
Most modern Halloween costumes are, unfortunately, designed by manufacturers with the idea that they will only be worn once. This means they’re made using cheap, oil-based fabric that often ends up in landfills the moment the holiday is over, poisoning you and your planet by shedding toxic microplastics (and not to mention draining your bank account).
To combat this danger to our environment (and your wallet), we recommend the following alternatives:
- Swap old Halloween costumes with a friend!
- Bring your old costume to a secondhand store such as Savers, Salvation Army, Goodwill, or Amvets and purchase a “new” used costume for a fraction of the cost of a new one! (Keep in mind, it’s very likely it was only worn once for a few hours.)
- If you’re feeling creative, you could even try using these same thrift stores to create your own costume out of secondhand materials!
Here’s a few resources with ideas to get you in the zone:
https://www.goodwill.org/halloween/
https://www.americasthrift.com/halloweenhub/
If you really feel like going the extra mile (or are just feeling frugal), try challenging yourself to make a Halloween costume out of what you already have! Whether that be ripping up an old flannel for a werewolf’s tattered clothes or creating a robot out of cardboard boxes and aluminum foil, you likely already have most of the materials necessary to create an unforgettable Halloween costume!
