Pumpkins

It’s true that pumpkins take center stage during Halloween with all the jack-o’-lanterns and festive decorations, but unfortunately, a lot of them go to waste. In the U.S., millions of pumpkins are either left unsold or discarded after the season, contributing to food waste. I remember seeing this firsthand during my time in the U.S., and it was shocking to witness so many pumpkins simply abandoned. Where I live, we don’t have real pumpkins for Halloween either. Instead, plastic pumpkin decorations are more common. It’s great to hear that fresh pumpkins can be used in better ways—like donating them to food banks, turning them into soups or pies, feeding animals, or even composting. Some communities in the US even recycle old jack-o’-lanterns into energy, which highlights how awareness can reduce waste. I’m just not sure if they’re always utilized like that to avoid being wasted.