The city of Bowling Green is encouraging its residents to recycle their pumpkins and gourds at the city’s yard waste recycling drop-off area by the public works garage along Tarragon Drive.  

The U.S Department of Energy estimated that 1.3 out of 1.9 billion pounds of pumpkins were thrown away in 2014, instead of being consumed or recycled.

Candles and decorations must be removed before recycling pumpkins or gourds. There are three black dumpsters marked for yard waste at the drop-off area where the pumpkins and gourds should be recycled.

All recycled material that is collected will be taken to Wood County’s Yard Waste Recycling Area. The city notes that pumpkins and gourds should not be recycled in the food waste recycling drop-off area.  

Placing pumpkins and gourds in a bin or a separate area of a yard to allow them to decompose naturally and finding recipes for uncarved pumpkins are other resourceful ways to get rid of pumpkins.