Vista residents have an environmentally friendly option for disposing of their Halloween pumpkins this year through the city's green organics waste collection program.
The City of Vista is reminding the public that pumpkins can be recycled through EDCO's organics service by placing them in green waste bins. This keeps the seasonal decorations from ending up in landfills where they would contribute to methane emissions.
Before tossing pumpkins into the green cart, residents must first strip away any non-organic materials. Candles, wax, decorative stickers, glitter, and paint should all be removed, as these items cannot decompose naturally and interfere with the composting process.
Once cleaned, pumpkins may be placed directly into the organics bin without any container, or alternatively inside paper bags or on top of yard waste already in the cart. The collected pumpkins will be processed into compost that enriches soil with nutrients.
The initiative supports California's broader organic waste recycling requirements aimed at diverting compostable material from traditional garbage collection and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from decomposing organic matter in landfills.