After Halloween, properly disposing of pumpkins is integral for the health of local ecosystems. Pumpkins should not be thrown away, as over 1 billion pounds of pumpkins end up in landfills each year, releasing methane, as a result of improper decomposition. Pumpkins are ideal for composting, adding valuable nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen to soil at home. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation recommends cutting pumpkins into smaller pieces and adding it into the compost pile with organic material, such as woodchips, or leaves. Seeds should also be removed, as that can result in pumpkin plants growing within the pile. Ryan Donnelly, lead educator at Tanglewood Nature Center spoke to 18 News about recycling pumpkins, and how they are composting pumpkins, to enrich t

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