New Hanover County collecting unwanted pumpkins this week

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY)– As you begin to get rid of your fall pumpkins to transition into the Christmas season, New Hanover County has a place for you to take them.   

The 5th Annual Pumpkin Compost Collection is taking place this week across New Hanover County. 

The purpose of dropping off your pumpkins to be composted is so that this organic matter can be diverted in ways that it can be used and repurposed in an environmentally efficient way. 

If you take your pumpkins to the New Hanover County Arboretum, they will donate them to local farmers, and they will feed them to their animals.   

“We’re going to repurpose this as animal feed, and if we can’t find farmers who need these pumpkins as animal feed, we’ll compost them. Both of which will keep these pumpkins out of the landfill where they would rot and make methane, which is a really powerful greenhouse gas. We also have a landfill with limited space left,” said Matthew Collogan, NHC Arboretum Consumer Horticulture Agent.  

There are 5 drop off locations in New Hanover County including the Arboretum, the Landfill, the Haz Wagon, the Compost Company, and the UNCW Wagoner Dining Hall.   

Pumpkins can be dropped off Monday through Friday during regular business hours of each location.