10/02/2026
Statistics Canada estimates that over 82,000 tonnes of pumpkin are grown in the country each year. Many become jack-o-lanterns and once festivities end, they’re sent to the landfill (or smashed on the road), where they rot and generate methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than CO2.
Here are 3 steps to a more sustainable pumpkin season: ��1. CHOOSE WISELY
While they can technically be eaten, carving pumpkins tend to have less flavour and a stringier, more watery flesh than pumpkins grown specifically for cooking. Choosing heirloom or culinary varieties instead gives you a wider range of uses in the kitchen - from soups, stews, and roasted dishes to pies, muffins, and breads.
2. CHOOSE LOCAL
In 2025, Canada imported approximately 51,900 tonnes of pumpkins, squash and gourds. To cut down on the travel your pumpkin goes through to reach you, look for local growers instead.�
3. CHOOSE LONGEVITY
By avoiding or removing candles, paint, and other non-compostable decorations, your pumpkin will be compost-ready. It makes great fertilizer in your own backyard, you can drop them off at a CRD food waste collection bin at several local transfer stations, or you can drop it off at the Potato House’s pumpkin graveyard!
The CRD drop-off locations are listed here: https://www.cariboord.ca/living-here/garbage-and-recycling/earth-flow-composter/
sources:
https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/sector/horticulture/reports/statistical-overview-canadian-field-vegetable-industry-2025
Article: National Observer, The climate-friendly solution to ditching your Halloween pumpkins, By Marc Fawcett-Atkinson, November 1st 2024
