WEST DORSET District Council is asking residents to compost pumpkins left over from Halloween.

The council’s recycling trucks will be driving around the district until Friday 5 November with pumpkin stickers urging people to recycle their pumpkins.

Pumpkins – says the council – should be cut up before putting them into your compost bins, or food waste caddies if you live in the Sherborne area.

Whole pumpkins will not be taken away.

Robert Gould, the leader of West Dorset District Council, said: “Food waste makes up around a third of the weight of the average rubbish bag. Based on this, West Dorset residents throw away about 7,000 tonnes of food waste, which goes to landfill.

“Aside from the large and increasing cost to tax payers for sending waste to landfill, food waste rotting in landfill creates methane. Half of this food waste thrown away could have been composted at home at very little cost.

“It is important to recycle your pumpkins this Halloween”.

For more information about the food waste recycling scheme visit  www.dorsetforyou.com/foodwasterecycling/west or contact West Dorset District Council on 01305 251010. For more information about how to recycle more visit http://www.dorsetforyou.com/recycling

Editor’s Note: This is a slightly re-written version of a press release issued by West Dorset District Council. It must be an unappealing prospect, if you’re a binman, having to pick up hundreds of pumpkins. Imagine what the back of your dustbin lorry could be like – or your own back.

(But I wonder – is a district council allowed in law to say – “Whole pumpkins will not be taken away”?)

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