Trash Talk

Shannon Thompson

It’s that time of year again, when the air gets crisp and the beautiful fall colors come out. Bright yellows, fiery reds, and bright oranges saturate the landscape. With this comes pumpkins and Jack-O-Lanterns! 

Clay County Solid Waste will be holding our annual pumpkin collection event, Take Jack Back, from November 1-16. Collection bins will be placed around the county near recycling drop off sites. Pumpkins will be transported to a local farm where they will be composted.

Why should you compost your pumpkins? Composting is a good way to make sure the nutrients contained in the pumpkins are returned back to the soil and not wasted by sitting in a landfill. Healthier soil equals healthier food! Composting also helps our landfills last longer. Diverting the food waste back to the soil means the pumpkins won’t take up valuable space in the landfill.

Since these pumpkins will be composted, we need to keep other contaminants out of the soil. Make sure that you remove decorations from your pumpkin before placing in the collection bin, including things like paint, glitter, and candles and wax. Pumpkins can be carved or uncarved as well.

For the location of the drop site in your city, contact city hall. Clay County drop site is located at the Clay County Resource Recovery Center, 3322 15th Ave N, Moorhead.