Press release from CompostNow Inc.:
Asheville, NC: Local food waste warriors, CompostNow and Asheville GreenWorks, have teamed up to fight Halloween pumpkin waste. They will be hosting a community event called “Smash Don’t Trash” on Sunday, November 4th from 12pm-4pm at New Belgium Brewing. Community members are encouraged to bring their old pumpkins to be composted rather than landfilled. The event will host pumpkin smashing stations, kid-friendly activities, and music on the spacious lawn at New Belgium Brewery. You can also get a $1 off the Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin beer while supplies last. All compost created from “Smash Don’t Trash” will be shared with Sand Hill Community Garden and Asheville GreenWork’s Sand Hill Orchard and Nursery.
The numbers surrounding discarded pumpkins during the Halloween season can give even the bravest person a scare. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, most of the 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins produced in the U.S. end up in the landfill. These discarded pumpkins add to the more than 254 million tons of municipal solid waste produced in the U.S. every year. Trashed pumpkins, like other food waste sent to the landfill, will emit methane, a greenhouse gas 25x more potent than CO2. But, organizations like CompostNow and Asheville GreenWorks believe that the nutrients found in pumpkins and other food scraps should be used to build healthy soil rather than sit in the landfill.
CompostNow is a local collection service who empowers community members and businesses to divert their compostables from the landfill, and, instead, use those nutrients to build healthy soil in the community. To date, their members have diverted over 6 million pounds of compostables from the landfill. “Compost provides our depleted soils with the necessary nutrients it needs to grow healthy food for the community. For a resilient and vibrant local food system, we’ve got to close the nutrient-cycle. Teaming up with Asheville GreenWorks to create this community event was a perfect opportunity to reduce the impact wasted pumpkin have on landfills and educate the public about the importance of composting,” says Kat Nigro, the Head of Marketing & Engagement at CompostNow.
Asheville GreenWorks is another player in the waste reduction ecosystem. Their mission is to inspire, equip and mobilize individuals and communities to take care of the places we love to live. Chelsea Rath, Community Engagement Coordinator at Asheville GreenWorks, says, “Our goal is to educate our neighbors on waste reduction and to engage them in hands-on learning opportunities. In 2017, Asheville GreenWorks removed, by hand, over 63,000 pounds of litter from Buncombe County. The Smash Don’t Trash event is the perfect way to allow community members a first-hand look at how easy it can be to make a difference in this city we love. Choosing to compost is an easy change that betters our environment and reduces waste in our landfills and around town.”
“Smash Don’t Trash” is a free, family-friendly event held on Sunday, November 4th from 12pm-4pm at New Belgium Brewing Company . There will be a pumpkin drop-off available for you to compost your pumpkin. All compostables will be processed by Danny’s Dumpster , a family-owned hauling and processing business in Asheville.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.