Pumpkin Recycling

As we approach the end of autumn, people nationwide are getting ready to celebrate the popular holiday, Halloween. We all have our different rituals when it comes to honouring this yearly event but for most this means ghoulish costumes, tales of horror and, most traditionally, the art of carving pumpkins. But what does this mean for the environment? Households in the UK throw an average of 8.3 million tonnes of food away every year and with pumpkin sales due to rise dramatically this is an issue that Eastleigh Borough Council are trying to tackle with their food waste collection scheme. Every unwanted Jack O'Lantern left out for collection in the Eastleigh area will go on to be recycled. So what happens to this waste after it's been picked up? So enjoy decorating and carving your pumpkins this Halloween but keep in mind how useful your new orange friends could be if recycled. This is Tasha Pert for Solent News.