RICHFIELD, Minn. – Who needs a pumpkin after Halloween anyway?
Before Richfield residents can throw their jack-o-lantern in the trash, the city offers a destructive but constructive alternative.
For the first time ever, Richfield hosted a “Pumpkin smash” event at Veterans Park on Saturday. The mission? Crush and compost the Halloween waste.
The city’s waste specialist says it’s all for a good cause.
WCCO
We produce between 1 and 2 billion pumpkins across the United States,” said Zach McCarty.[In a landfill] instead of breaking down in a way that is beneficial, they will eventually break down and produce methane gas, which is an incredibly potent greenhouse gas.”
When both parents and children smashed their gourds, they turned to a compost bin instead.
“Within about 30-60 days we will have a very rich soil amendment that will have benefits for any type of project it can be used for anywhere in the state,” McCarty said. “It’s such a unique process that not only benefits our environment by diverting things from landfills, but it’s also going to support engineering projects across the province, it’s going to support gardens and farms, it has a lot of potential. “
Adam Duxter
