What should you do with your fabulously carved pumpkin? Definitely don’t toss it in the trash!

Video by veterancompost.com: A veteran-owned business focused on making great compost and soil blends, the organization operates two compost facilities in Aberdeen, Maryland and Alexandria, Virginia and have a third under construction in Lothian, Maryland. “Everyday we collect food scraps from homes, offices, and businesses throughout Maryland, Washington DC and Northern Virginia and compost those food scraps along with wood chips and make some pretty good stuff.”

Image by Ruth Hartnup, flickr.com

A Note from the Inkandescent Kids editors: Who doesn’t love to carve cool designs into pumpkins and display them on the porch and inside the house at Halloween? But what should you do when the pretty pumpkin starts to get rotten?

According to ecologists, trashing pumpkins, and thus sending them to landfill, can release harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. “Everybody throws them out from Halloween to right after Thanksgiving,” says Kay McKeen, executive director at Scarce, an environmental education non-profit. “It’s a huge burst of methane gas that’s going into the landfill all at one time.”

Here’s why you shouldn’t toss your pumpkins into the trash: When pumpkins are sent to landfill, they release methane, a potent greenhouse gas that, over a 20 year period, is around 80 times more powerful at trapping heat in the atmosphere when compared to carbon dioxide.

Here’s why it’s not a good idea to leave pumpkins in the woods: Leaving pumpkins in woods, parks, or natural areas can make animals sick. For example, pumpkin flesh acts as a natural laxative for hedgehogs and other small wildlife, leading to severe stomach upset and dehydration. Plus, rotting pumpkins attract unwanted pests, increase the spread of animal diseases, and draw wildlife near busy roads where they risk being hit by cars.

Here’s a better idea — Compost Them: Chop the pumpkin up and add it to your backyard compost pile or bring it to a local community “pumpkin smash” or curbside organic waste program. If the pumpkin is still fresh and unpainted, use the flesh and seeds for cooking, or donate it to a local farm, zoo, or wildlife rescue center.

ZeroWaste.DC: If you live in Washington, DC area, here’s a list of where you can take your pumpkins to properly dispose them: zerowaste.dc.gov