With Halloween in the rearview mirror, there is still some good your pumpkin can do if you know where to go with it. Instead of just simply throwing it away, some people leave their pumpkins out for area wildlife to nibble on in passing.  Another way is to compost it, turning the pumpkin into nutrient-filled soil over time. Through the Climate Change Coalition of Door County, the Door Community Compost Initiative offers ten different sites from Washington Island to Gardner to drop off pumpkins and other fruit and vegetable waste to turn into compost for those who cannot or do not want to do it on their own. Clean Water Action Council of Northeast Wisconsin President and Executive Director Dean Hoegger organizes the Gardner site and says there are many great reasons to compost.

If you choose to compost on your own, Hoegger recommends keeping it to just carbon-rich “browns” like leaves and small wood chips and nitrogen-rich greens like grass clippings and fruit and vegetable scraps. Other items may take too long to break down or could attract other pests. Below is more information about the Climate Change Coalition’s Door Community Compost Initiative.