THUNDER BAY -- Not sure what to do with leftover pumpkins?
Pumpkin pies and scones not your thing?
Shannon Costigan says rather than tossing pumpkins in the trash, city residents should consider bringing them to one of three pumpkin bins strategically located in Thunder Bay.
“The Great Pumpkin Compostable Collection is an annual program run by the City of Thunder Bay and Eco Superior that encourages people to take their compostable Halloween decorations – so pumpkins, hay bales and corn stalks – and bring them down to any of our collection bins for composting,” said Costigan, co-ordinator of environmental programs at Eco Superior.
Pumpkins collected will be taken to the John Street Landfill and turned into compost, which in turn will be given out to residents next spring.
“This program diverts up to 30 tonnes of organic waste from our landfill site every year. So it saves us a significant amount of space and it allows the nutrients that are held in these organic materials to be recaptured and distributed out as compost to the citizens of Thunder Bay,” she said.
The bins can be found at three locations: County Fair Plaza, at the Westfort Play Field off Neebing Avenue and the Intercity Shopping Centre overflow lot, next to what used to be the Lakehead Labour Centre.
Costigan reminds residents using the program to remove any candles or plastic bags before dropping off their pumpkins.
The compost bins will be available until Nov. 14.
