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As you prepare for Halloween, consider once the festivities are over and your pumpkins have served their decorative purpose, to think twice before tossing them in the garbage.
“Composting your old Jack o’ lanterns is a simple and impactful way to reduce waste. Pumpkins are a fantastic addition to your backyard composter as they are rich in nitrogen and break down quickly, especially when chopped into smaller pieces and mixed with dry leaves,” says Cynthia Coates, Solid Waste Services Supervisor. “By spring, you will have a nutrient-rich fertilizer perfect for your garden or lawn.”
If you do not compost at home, you can keep your pumpkins out of the landfill by placing them in your green-lidded curbside yard waste cart. Luckily, yard waste collection continues through to the end of December.
Love Food Hate Waste Canada offers helpful tips for enjoying pumpkins to their fullest.
And don’t forget: plastic candy wrappers from Halloween treats aren’t accepted in your curbside recycling cart, but they can be returned to your nearest recycling depot through the flexible plastics recycling program. Watch for updates about changes in the Central Okanagan to curbside collection for flexible plastics and glass coming in May 2026.
Managing waste after Halloween is a small step that makes a substantial difference to reducing waste in our landfill. For more information on composting, yard waste or recycling programs, visit rdco.com/recycle, email recycle@rdco.com, or call the Regional Waste Reduction Office at 250-469-6250.
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