Tips for lowering pumpkin waste this autumn

23 October 2025

We are encouraging residents to take advantage of their pumpkins this autumn through the use of them in recipes or recycling them responsibly, serving to to cut back meals waste throughout the district.

To assist residents, we’re working with Picking Patch in Fordingbridge, the place guests can decide up a flyer with ideas for utilizing up and recycling pumpkins. These flyers are additionally obtainable at our info workplaces.

Residents can roast their pumpkin and use it in soups, curries, pies, and muffins, with a variety of recipes obtainable on the Love Food Hate Waste web site. If residents are unable to make use of their pumpkin in cooking, it may be composted at dwelling in both their compost bin or heap. 

Earlier this yr, we began rolling out our new waste and recycling assortment service in three phases throughout the district, which incorporates weekly meals waste collections. If residents in Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the brand new service cannot deplete or compost their pumpkin, they’ll place it of their meals waste caddy, ensuring to chop it into smaller items, and take away decorations, paint, and candles.

Residents in Phase 3 who haven’t but acquired their meals waste caddy ought to place unused pumpkins of their basic waste container if composting isn’t an choice.

Cllr Geoffrey Blunden, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability, mentioned: “Reducing food waste is one of the most effective actions we can take to lessen our environmental impact. By following the waste hierarchy of reducing what we waste, reusing where we can, and recycling what’s left, we can make a real difference. Our new weekly food waste collections are a key part of helping us to reduce what we throw away and recycle more, and using up or recycling pumpkins this autumn is a great way for residents to get involved and support a more sustainable New Forest.”

We are additionally reminding residents to by no means to depart pumpkins within the open forest, as they are often dangerous to some wildlife if eaten.

Read more about what can be recycled all year round.

More information