by Courtney Wight ’26 on October 30, 2025
Opinion
While we may view pumpkins during fall as merely a decoration or a carving activity, pumpkins are still food! In 2020, it was estimated that out of the two billion pumpkins produced in the United States,1.3 billion of them ended up in landfills. Pumpkins don’t have to be thrown away, and there are a variety of alternative options on how to reduce pumpkin waste.
One obvious option is to eat the pumpkin. I know many people who, when carving pumpkins, save the seeds, roast them, and eat them. In addition to the seeds, the pumpkin insides can also be used as food. These bits can enhance flavors in vegetable stock, be added to soups, or be pureed and used in smoothies, oatmeal, and various other recipes.
If you get absolutely sick of eating all the pumpkin insides, another alternative to the trash cans is composting. Many Americans have compost bins at home, and more cities across the country are adopting composting services. These services are similar to those for trash and recycling, as the composting materials can be picked up from an individual’s home by the city. By composting the uneaten food rather than throwing it in the trash, food waste can be reduced.
If your city or home does not have composting, the pumpkin insides can also be used to feed pets, farm animals, or wildlife. Some ways include leaving your pumpkins in the backyard or cooking up the pumpkin to feed to your dogs.
Any of these alternatives to the trash is better than simply throwing the whole pumpkin away. It is our duty to ensure that our holiday celebrations remain fun, but at the same time, do not rapidly increase the existing problems of climate change. This includes eating the pumpkin, composting it, or feeding it to animals.