trash talk

 Ashley Magelky | Guest Columnist

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 1-14. Collection bins will be placed around the county near recycling drop off sites. Pumpkins will then be transported to a local farm where they will be composted.

So why should you make sure 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.

Collection sites include: Moorhead (Public Works Facility on 15th Ave N; 23rd St S & 40th Ave; and 418 Elm St S), Oakport (Compost Site), Barnesville (205 Front St N), Dilworth (600 Center Ave W), Georgetown (127 Main), Glyndon (22 3rd St SE), Hawley (716 Front St), Hitterdal (by the water tower), Sabin (6 Main St), and Ulen (108 NP Ave W).