As families get ready to celebrate Halloween, Merton Council is urging residents to recycle their leftover pumpkins to reduce food waste and help them save money.

Over a million pumpkins are bought in the UK and carved out to create the ghoulish lanterns that will adorn our doorsteps during Halloween.

But what ever happens to the carved out flesh? Most of it is thrown away, along with the rest of household waste. Many families are unaware that food waste costs us up to £50 a month and also has a serious impact on the environment.

To help residents save money and stop food going to waste, Love Food Hate Waste has come up with a list of its best pumpkin recipes, which are easy to make and delicious to taste. Whether it be pumpkin tart, roast pumpkin lasagne or festive pumpkin soup, there is a range of tasty options on their website at http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.

Emma Marsh, Head of Love Food Hate Waste, said ‘The key thing here is to just buy and cook the food that is needed: throwing food or drink away is bad for our wallets and the environment. If you do have any spare harvest from your garden, it might be worth thinking about sharing it with family neighbours and friends.’

Cabinet Member for environmental sustainability and regeneration, Councillor Andrew Judge said: ‘Halloween is a widely celebrated tradition for many families. But we must all do our bit for the environment and recycle or compost our food waste, including leftover pumpkins. By doing so, households will reduce their waste and also save money.’

For information about recycling go to http://www.merton.gov.uk/recycling or call 020 8274 4902.

Residents who do not have a compost bin can order one by calling 0844 571 4444 or visiting http://www.merton.gov.uk/composting.

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