This fall season the City of Hastings is giving faded jack-o’-lanterns and gourds new life through composting.
The eco-friendly process helps keep organic waste out of landfills and turns this year’s orange into next year’s green.
Conservation Nebraska teamed up with the City of Hastings to keep the waste out of landfills. The two organizations are holding a pumpkin and gourd collection event to educate residents in smaller cites about composting. This will be the second event following another one in early November.
The first collection sent over 2,500 pounds of pumpkins to compost. Taiylor Sanders is with Conservation Nebraska and said many residents asked for another opportunity after the first one was so successful.
“Many were really appreciative of the service and just being able to discard of them in a way that they viewed they were making a beneficial impact on their community and the environment, and they hoped it was something that could continue on.” Sanders said.
The groups partnered with SmartSoil, which provided roll-away dumpsters. Residents of Hastings can take their pumpkins and gourds to the Aquacourt Water Park parking lot. SmartSoil will then turn the unwanted pumpkins and gourds into compost.
A press release stated the process minimizes the amount of methane produced by pumpkins that would otherwise decompose in landfills. Typically, more than one billion pumpkins go to waste each year.
Sanders added small steps like composting that can contribute to a healthier environment. The event will be on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.