Sustainable Jack-o'-Lanterns

Beatrice Flight

Sep 30

2 min read

It's finally pumpkin season, and I am definitely looking forward to some

cute and wholesome pumpkin carving. Have you ever thought about what happens to your pumpkin after Halloween? Turns out, there's a right way and a wrong way to source and get rid of your jack-o'-lantern — and it makes a bigger difference than you'd think.

Getting Your Pumpkin Sustainably

Before you even pick up a knife, it starts with where your pumpkin comes from. Grocery store pumpkins often travel hundreds of miles before they hit the shelf, which racks up a surprising amount of fuel and packaging waste for something

you're going to carve up and toss in a few weeks. Instead, try going to a local farm and getting one there! Amber waves, Balsam Frams, and Pumpkin town are some great options!

While you're there, look for pumpkins that are "ugly" or oddly shaped. Farms often can't sell these for as much, but they are extra cute and special, and even have a little unique Halloween edge.

Don't Toss the Guts!

Before you scoop out all those seeds and stringy insides and dump them in the

trash, consider making a delicious treat instead! Pumpkin seeds are delicious roasted with a little salt and olive oil, and the flesh can be used for soups, pies, or pumpkin bread (maybe find a recipe for the Starbucks one and try to recreate it at home!). Even if you're not into pumpkin recipes, the guts are great for composting (check out last month's post if you missed our composting tips!).

What to Do When Halloween's Over

Here's the part most people get wrong: pumpkins do NOT belong in the trash. When a pumpkin ends up in a landfill, it gets buried under piles of other garbage where it can't get enough oxygen to break down properly. Instead, it releases methane, a greenhouse gas that's way more harmful than CO2.

So what should you actually do with it?

Compost it. Whether you have a backyard compost pile or use a local drop-off, pumpkins break down beautifully and turn into nutrient-rich soil.
Give it to wildlife. Many farms and wildlife centers will take pumpkins to feed animals like deer, pigs, and goats. Just make sure to remove any candles, paint, or glitter first!
Bury it in your garden. If you've got the space, burying your pumpkin directly in your yard lets it decompose naturally and feed the soil.

One thing to avoid: don't toss a painted or glittered pumpkin into a compost pile or leave it out for wildlife, since those materials aren't exactly a healthy snack

So this year, have fun carving your spookiest or silliest designs, but give a little thought to where your pumpkin came from and where it's headed next. Small choices like these add up to a big difference for Montauk's environment.