Fall decorations are often completely compostable but unfortunately never make it to a compost pile. Instead, they end up in trash bags and trash cans heading directly to the local landfill. In fact, by some estimates, three-quarters or more of all compostable fall decorations end up in a landfill each year! This costs our town (and us) money in landfill tipping fees to dispose of the waste and leads to more methane gas emissions.
From pumpkins, gourds and squash, to corn stalks, flowering annuals and container plants, fall decorations are the perfect ingredients for filling a compost bin.
In particular, not only do (unpainted) pumpkins, gourds and squash break down quickly, their larger size adds a tremendous amount of bulk material to a compost pile. In addition, they are an excellent source of nitrogen, and add beneficial bacteria to the compost to help break it down fast.
Source: Oldworldgardenfarms.com
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