Madison: Put Your Pumpkins in Your Leaf Piles
Wisconsin Eagle/10322521

~ As the fall season approaches, residents of Madison are encouraged to spice up their leaf piles with some festive jack-o-lanterns. The Streets Division crews will be collecting pumpkins, hay, corn stalks, and other yard waste along with the leaves.

However, before setting out your pumpkins and other decorative gourds for pickup, it is important to remove any wires, candles, string, electric lights or similar items. These non-compostable materials can cause issues during the composting process. Additionally, pumpkins should not have any paint, leftover candle wax or other non-compostable materials on them.

According to the Streets Division's yard waste website, residents can find out when to set out their pumpkins and other yard waste for collection. The collection will take place during the work week following the set-out date.

For those looking for alternative ways to compost their pumpkins, there are a few options available. The Dane County Department of Waste and Renewables will be hosting a "Squash Your Waste" event on Saturday, November 8 at their Henry Vilas Zoo Scrap Stop location from 10:00am to 2:00pm. This event is a year-round option for dropping off certain allowable food scraps including pumpkins and other gourds.

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Residents can also bring their pumpkins and other yard waste material to one of the Streets Division's drop-off sites. It is important to check the drop-off site website for hours of operation, locations and any site restrictions before visiting as they may have changed since your last visit. After Thanksgiving, drop-off site hours will change to winter hours.

For those interested in home composting, pumpkins are a great source of nitrogen and can help offset carbon from fallen leaves. The Streets Division's website offers many resources for starting home composting.

For more information on pumpkin disposal and composting options in Madison, residents can visit the Streets and Urban Forestry Division website. Let's keep our city clean and green this fall season by properly disposing of our pumpkins and other yard waste.

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