Reharvest Your Halloween Pumpkins at Missoula’s Southgate Mall

Perhaps by now that smiling, three-toothed jack-o-lantern of yours is turning mushy and drooping.

Well, just like your Christmas trees after the holidays, Missoula has a way for you to help with a recycling effort. That starts today (Tuesday) at Southgate Mall and Soil Cycle hopes you will help with the cause.

Each year after Halloween, millions of decorative pumpkins end up in the landfill. One of the scariest parts of Halloween might just be the methane that comes off landfills when organic materials like pumpkins are buried. Instead of dumping them, the Missoula non-profit organization Soil Cycle seeks to "reharvest" pumpkins by collecting and delivering them to local farmers, that they might feed their animals nutrient-rich pumpkins all winter.

Drop off bins are provided at the Southgate Mall Tuesday, November 3, through Saturday, November 7. A self-serve drop-off bin is available at the main entrance next to Red Robin. They do ask please, no painted pumpkins or pumpkins that contain candles. 

Soil Cycle’s mission, vision and goals are community-minded and sustainably founded. They strive to divert waste from the local landfill, and are committed to reducing emissions by using human-powered means as well as reusing, reducing, and recycling materials as often as possible. Soil Cycle aims to give back to Missoula through partnerships and sustainable education in order to create a healthier, more self-sufficient sustainable community.

So, take a moment to tell your pumpkin that the two of you had a good run, and now it's time for it to answer to a higher calling. Like a "moo" or an "oink," perhaps?