The costumes are back in the closet, the candy’s long been consumed and the leftover pumpkins are starting to turn into mush in the South Florida heat and humidity. They don’t just smell bad, the nasty gasses they emit also harm the atmosphere. But Vanina Armenteros’ first-grade science class at Pinecrest Elementary School is converting the orange gourds into something green. They’re one of 15 elementary schools in the Miami-Dade County composting their rotting jack-o-lanterns. “It helps the world to not make the air smell bad,” said 7-year-old pupil Koby Satin.
Food is one of the most common things we send to the landfills, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and most of the time, those decorative pumpkins wind up in the trash.
“This was just an awesome opportunity for students to learn what they can do with the waste that they’re producing at home and use it to really just implement change in their immediate community,” said Karly Pulido, sustainability officer at Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
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After a quick lesson on what can and can’t go into compost (a good rule of thumb: if it was living or food it’s probably okay), students lined up to drop their pumpkins into bright pink compost bins. The bins will be taken to Fertile Earth Worm Farm in Homestead, where the pumpkins will be transformed into nutrient-rich soil to help local farmers and gardeners.
“It all starts with the kids,” Lanette Sobel, the founder of Fertile Earth Worm Farm said. “If you really want to see change in our culture and society what better way than to educate the kids who will educate the parents.”
Several students said they want to keep composting at home.
“I’m going to compost again with my family, and maybe get some earth worms,” 6-year-old Mila Perez said.
American farmers grow about 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins every year, which creates about 7,500 tons of the potent greenhouse gas methane when it breaks down in the landfill, according to Robert Chubajczyk, a Polish environmental scientist. That’s equivalent to the emissions for about 45,000 cars, according to the EPA.
This pumpkin project is also a preview of what’s coming next month. Miami-Dade public schools received a $80,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to compost leftovers from meal prep and uneaten food at seven elementary schools, including Pinecrest, said Jose Ocaña, sustainability coordinator at Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
How to compost your pumpkin
If you have a pumpkin past it’s prime, there are places you can compost it too: like the North Beach Compost Hub or Pinecrest Farmers Market. The drop-off in North Beach requires registration and a code but the farmers market will have “extra bins for the pumpkins this weekend.”
Just make sure to remove candles, stickers, and any glitter if you used it – it won’t break down with the pumpkin.
You can also compost in your backyard. Smash, and then sprinkle it in your garden and cover with some soil.
Ashley Miznazi is a climate change reporter for the Miami Herald funded by the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation and MSC Cruises in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners.
This story was originally published by the Miami Herald and shared in partnership with the Florida Climate Reporting Network, a multi-newsroom initiative founded by the Miami Herald, the Sun-Sentinel, The Palm Beach Post, the Orlando Sentinel, WLRN Public Media and the Tampa Bay Times.
