Part with your Pumpkin After Halloween: Try Composting

The City of Madison Engineering and Streets divisions want to remind the community not to place pumpkins in the City’s retention ponds and greenways after Halloween, and instead, consider composting, bringing the pumpkins and other yard waste to the City’s drop-off site or placing the pumpkins out for yard waste pick-up.

In addition to pumpkins, please do not place other fall vegetation in greenways and ponds such as annuals, mums, hay bales and cornstalks. The City greenways and ponds are not the place for fall favorites, instead, please bring the eligible items to the City’s drop off site or place out on the terrace for yard waste pickup. The City’s yard waste webpage has information on what is and is not allowed.

Before bringing your old jack-o-lanterns to the yard waste site, remove any candles, decorations or other items that may be inside the pumpkin.

Parting with your Pumpkin: Try to Compost
If you’d like to keep your pumpkins, composting is a great option. All you’ll need to get started is a compost bin, brown and green materials and a shovel. Plus, a read through the City of Madison’s ordinance on compost piles. "Greens" are things like grass clippings, pumpkins or appropriate food waste that is high in nitrogen. "Browns" are things like dry leaves that are high in carbon. A good rule of thumb is to add two or three "browns" for every one "green" by volume, or have more leaves than grass clippings in the pile.

Under Wisconsin law, yard materials including leaves, grass clippings and small pieces of brush/branches are prohibited from disposal in landfills.

 

Links

• Everyday Engineering Podcast Episode: Hello, Pumpkin! Try Composting this Fall
• How to Compost: Booklets, Guides, Tutorials
• Yard Waste Pickup Schedule and City Drop off sites

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