Occasionally , a Charles William Post to Facebook detail how to do something eco - favorable will go viral , but sometimes the information contained in these posts is n’t all that great . A viral C. W. Post made in 2020 and another made in 2022 detailing eco - friendly way to dispose of honest-to-god rottingpumpkinsare two such example .
The firstviral place , shared more than 575,000 times as of this penning , reads : “ Do n’t throw aside pumpkins . retrieve wood near you and ruin open for wildlife to corrode . autumn pumpkin is dependable for wildlife and the seeds are a natural dewormer . Recycling plus food root . Win - Win . ” Thesecondsuggests that you “ incur woods or a field near you , boom them heart-to-heart and leave for the wildlife to eat . ”
This sounds like pretty reasonable advice , and it goes without saying that almost anything is preferable to disposing of rot pumpkins in the garbage . But is it really hunky-dory to leave honest-to-god pumpkins in the forest ?
Should you leave food waste in nature?
To help oneself answer this query , I ’d like to refer to aFacebook postwritten by the Glacier National Park Facebook page , detailing why it is n’t idealistic to leave nutrient waste in nature – let in pumpkin .
These ‘ natural ’ food items will not decompose quickly . If animals do n’t feed the nutrient waste , decomposition will likely take much longer than you bear . Some yield product can take years to decompose depending on the environment they are in !
Food waste is likely to be eat by wildlife and increment habituation . For example , if you throw your Malus pumila core out the windowpane of your car , it may further wildlife to search for foods along route . The more time they spend around roads , the higher the chance they ’ll get strike by a cable car .
‘ Natural ’ food detail are also usually not so natural . apple , banana , oranges , etc are not native to Glacier National Park . If eaten by wildlife it will likely not digest well since these animal are not accustomed to these foods . yield and vegetable seeds that cease up on the priming coat could result in a non - aboriginal plant growth .
While the above mail service is geared toward Glacier National Park specifically , the same doughnut reliable for your local timberland . Leaving pumpkins in the woods can make habituation for local wildlife , endanger both the animals and people . It may not decompose as well as the viral Facebook post suggest , and it actually may make non - native plant growth .
What should I do with my old, rotting pumpkins?
By this point , hopefully , you ’ve decided that leave your old pumpkins in nature is n’t the right thing to do . Thank you ! Your local wildlife thanks you . But what are some things you may do with those old pumpkin ? Some thought for making better exercise of old pumpkins :
