Devon pumpkin carvers urged to join the #PumpkinRescue
The environmental charity Hubbub and Recycle Devon are urging Devon's pumpkin carvers to join the biggest #PumpkinRescue yet.
#PumpkinRescue is a campaign that aims to reduce food waste during the popular holiday season.
This year, Hubbub and Recycle Devon are launching Devon’s biggest ever #PumpkinRescue. Families attending Halloween events at Devon’s top attractions will find a fantastic wealth of information about cooking pumpkin recipes with their carvings and avoiding wasting leftovers.
Halloween is now Britain’s third biggest commercial holiday, after Christmas and Easter, and the country’s second biggest party night after New Year’s Eve. However, a shocking number of edible pumpkins go to waste each year.
Every year over a quarter of all Halloween pumpkins end up in the rubbish bin, which equates to 18,000 tonnes of food waste.
Many more pumpkins go straight to the food waste bin or composting without being eaten
Every pumpkin that is used and eaten is a step towards tackling the 7.1 million tonnes of food and drink that is thrown away from UK homes every year.
Make sure to keep an eye out on social media for the #PumpkinRescue campaign which includes videos, recipes and tips for saving money on food bills.
Recycle Devon will also be working with Devon Top Attractions member organisations and 'Pick Your Own Pumpkin' venues across Devon to provide advice for Devon residents.
For more information and heaps of tempting recipes visit the pumpkin rescue web page on the Recycle Devon website.
Cllr David Harvey, Chair of the Devon Authorities Strategic Waste Committee, said: “Halloween is a fun time for all the family and there are lots of easy ways to enjoy it without adding to your waste bin. Pumpkin flesh can be used to make some great dishes and, once Halloween is over, the carved shell can be composted either in a garden compost bin or put out for collection in a food waste bin, where collections exist.”
Anne Blackham, Marketing Manager for Devon’s Top Attractions, says: “We are delighted to work with Recycle Devon and support #PumpkinRescue. Come and visit one of our participating venues and find out how you can join in too”.
Tessa Tricks, Creative Partner at Hubbub, says: “Halloween has become increasingly popular in the UK, but unlike those on the other side of the pond, many Brits aren’t cooking with their pumpkin carvings, instead they’re throwing them away.
“This is contributing to the amount of waste thrown away by UK households each year, which is not only costly to the environment but also costs the average household with kids £810 per year. It’s great to see that Knorr is joining the #PumpkinRescue and highlighting the delicious and versatile recipes that can be made using pumpkins to UK shoppers.”
Visit the Recycle Devon website for more details of the events, or for tips on carving and cooking your pumpkin.
