4 Zero Waste Ways to have an Eco-Friendly Halloween



Did you know that our Halloween pumpkins are contributing to climate change?

Every Halloween in the U.K. more than 18,000 tonnes of perfectly fine and edible pumpkins are put straight into the bin – that's the same weight as 1,500 double decker buses! 😱

According to research by Unilever and behaviour change charity Hubbub, 15 million pumpkins per year go to waste instead of being eaten in UK – that's enough for a bowl of pumpkin soup for everyone in Britain.

And over in the U.S. Most of the 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins grown for Halloween end up in landfill each year.

Any organic waste left to decompose in landfills releases methane into our atmosphere. Methane is a harmful greenhouse gas with more than 20 times the warming effect of carbon dioxide. So, this Halloween waste significantly contributes to global warming.

Pumpkins are very good for our health, so it's even more of a shame to waste all that perfectly nutritious food.

Here are 4 Zero Waste Ideas for an Eco Friendly Halloween:

1. Eat it

Eat the Pumpkin Seeds - They are loaded with magnesium, zinc, protein, amino acids, antioxidants and omega 3s. Pumpkin seeds are serious superfoods wrapped in little packages. Pop them on a baking sheet, spread them out and toast them at 150 degrees/ gas mark 4 for about half an hour.

Make Pumpkin Soup (Full Recipe is Below ⬇️) 

There's nothing more delicious than some warming pumpkin soup at this time of year! Use our favourite (vegan friendly) pumpkin soup recipe at the end of this blog page.

Best not to carve your pumpkin until Halloween and puree up the flesh the next day, to make sure it’s fresh.

2. Serve Your Food In Them

Make Pumpkin Serving Bowls - Instead of putting the pumpkin shells in the bin, you could make them in to serving bowls and impress all of your guests. Turning your pumpkin shells into festive serving bowls is easy.

Simply place your hollowed out pumpkin on a baking sheet. Brush the insides and the tops with a little vegetable oil, and season as desired. Bake at 180 degrees/gas mark 4 for 35 minutes, then they'll be ready to serve your favourite soups or dips.

Amazing conversation starters. 🎃

📷Snackgirl

3. Feed it to the wildlife

If you don’t want to eat it yourself, pumpkin makes a good snack for wildlife, according to the National Wildlife Federation.

Birds and other small animals will be delighted to find pumpkin seeds scattered in your garden. Just don’t salt or season them because that could poison the animals.

Many garden animals will also eat pumpkin flesh if you cut it up into small pieces for them.

4. Compost it.

If your pumpkin has been carved for a few days and it’s starting to rot, composting it is a much better option than letting it go to landfill.

Pumpkins are good additions to a compost pile because they are 90% water, that means they breakdown super quickly.

Composting significantly reduces (and can actually eliminate) the methane that is released into the atmosphere when organic matter decomposes in landfills.

🎃🎃 OUR FAVOURITE (VEGAN FRIENDLY) PUMPKIN SOUP RECIPE 🎃🎃

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil 
• 1 Onion (chopped)
• 2 Cloves Garlic (crushed)
• 1 tsp Ginger (minced or finely chopped)
• 1 tsp Thyme
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 9 cups (2.2lb/1kg) Pumpkin (peeled and cubed)
• 1 14oz (400ml) Can Coconut Cream 
• 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) Vegetable Stock/Broth
• Himalayan Salt 
• Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add coconut oil to a pot with the chopped onion, garlic and ginger and sauté.
2. Then add the thyme and cayenne pepper and sauté until the onions are softened.
3. Add in the coconut cream, vegetable stock and the pumpkin + bring to the boil.
4. Turn down the heat and simmer until the pumpkin is soft and cooked (about 10 minutes).
5. Use an immersion blender to blend it smooth inside the pot. If you haven’t got an immersion blender, then transfer to a blender jug in stages and blend until smooth.
6. Add Himalayan salt and pepper to taste (optional).
7. Serve with some pumpkin seeds as garnish (optional).

We hope you love our eco friendly halloween suggestions. If you have any you'd like to add please just leave a comment below 😃

Happy Halloween 🎃

Love Kim

at Honest Miracle Family Organics 💚🌍

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