MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WLUC) – With Halloween over, you may be wondering what to do with your pumpkins as they begin to decompose.

The Marquette County Conservation District said you can drop off your pumpkins to be turned into compost. District Manager Maddie O’Donnell said that each year in the U.S., 1 billion pounds of pumpkins find their way to landfills across the country.

Instead of turning into compost soil, pumpkins in landfills can harm our environment.

“The landfill pumpkins and other compostable items don’t get enough oxygen to break down into soil. So instead, they break down and release methane gas. That methane gas is a contributor to warming our atmosphere,” O’Donnell said.

O’Donnell said you can drop off any pumpkin outside the conservation district’s office during November. The district manager said no pumpkins with paint on them can be accepted. You can find their office across the street from Marquette Township Fire Rescue.

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