One of Halloween’s scariest things is its ‘wicked waste’, families in the Burnham-On-Sea area are being warned.
Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) has this week urged people to think carefully about the waste they generate since Halloween can be a time of single-use plastic outfits for children and extra food waste.
New SWP figures indicate 42% of local people say they buy a pumpkin, while a third of those create meals from the flesh and seeds; and many recycle them, putting the remains in their food waste bin or compost bin. But a quarter throw the pumpkins away, and they usually ends up buried in landfill.
18,000 tonnes of edible pumpkins are put in rubbish bins or black sacks. That is the same weight as 1,500 double decker buses, or the equivalent of 360 million portions of delicious pumpkin pie. For most pumpkins, every part except the stalk can be eaten, while some have dubbed pumpkin seeds a new ‘superfood’.
Nick Cater, an SWP spokesperson tolf Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Fewer of us today regard waste as a sin, but it is fearful how much rubbish we create, especially around special occasions like Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night and Christmas.”
“All it takes is a little planning, a quick check for trick-or-treat recipes online at lovefoodhatewaste.com and letting young imaginations run wild.”
Buying too much, poor storage and big portions create costly food waste, while every costume put in a rubbish bin and sent off to £100-a-tonne landfill adds to council taxes.
SWP has this week also warned families to be sure that they do not start a potentially fatal fire in their rubbish bin after bonfire night with ashes or fireworks.
“The advice on ash, embers, barbecues and even the contents of ashtrays is to ensure they are completely cool or drenched with water to avoid fire risks in bins, vehicles or on landfill sites,” adds Nick.
“Fully spent fireworks must be soaked in water and then they can be disposed of in general refuse or taken to a recycling site to be put in the general waste.”
“Misfired or partly spent fireworks must be soaked in a container of water overnight, until properly sodden, and the manufacturer or supplier should be contacted for guidance on disposal.”
