Monsters, ghosts, zombies and cobwebs, every year Halloween exorcises our fears. But there is a side to this holiday that few know about, and which is equally – if not more – monstrous: the waste of hundreds of millions of pumpkins around the world, especially in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Pumpkin is a nutritious vegetable, rich in vitamins and minerals, which for millennia has represented a fundamental food for the indigenous populations of the Americas. Cultivated as early as around 7,500 BC in present-day Mexico, it was appreciated for its versatility and resistance, ideal for soups, stews, breads and desserts, it has a history spanning millennia. When European settlers arrived, they quickly adopted it, and it still remains a protagonist on our tables today.
But there is another famous side of the pumpkin and it is the decorative one. The tradition comes from Ireland: initially turnips and beets were carved to celebrate Samhain and keep evil spirits away. With the arrival of Irish immigrants to America in the 19th century, local pumpkins – larger, softer and easier to carve – replaced turnips, giving rise to the iconic Jack o’Lanterns that still light up our homes on Halloween today.
A waste that few people talk about
Behind the fun and festive appearance of pumpkin decorating, however, there is a huge problem. In the United States, according to the USDA, approximately 544 million kg of pumpkins are harvested in the main producing states every year. Of these, over 454 million kg end up directly in landfill after Halloween, without being consumed or composted.
Even in the United Kingdom the situation is no better: according to the Hubbub Foundation, around half of consumers buy a pumpkin to carve, but more than half throw it away with the leftovers, without cooking or composting it. In all, millions of pumpkins end up in the bin every year, even in the UK.
It’s not just about wasted food. The resources used to grow these pumpkins – water, fertilizer, soil and labor – are also lost. And when they end up in landfill, anaerobic decomposition produces methane, a much more potent greenhouse gas than CO₂.
Pumpkins in Italy
Even in Italy the scenario is not very different, although on a smaller scale. This year our country produced around 40 thousand tons of pumpkins, with a better harvest than 2024 and a “pumpkin economy” that exceeds 30 million euros, involving around 2,000 hectares cultivated between Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto, with significant increases also in Puglia, Sicily, Umbria and Campania.
Despite the agricultural effort and the resources used, approximately 58% of the pumpkins purchased for Halloween are wasted, used only as decoration and almost never reused in the kitchen. Only 35% of pumpkins are used for food purposes, with a significant environmental impact.
The solution exists and it is simple: after using them as decorations, cooking pumpkins can be used in soups, creams, cakes and risottos. Decorative pumpkins, which are smaller or more colorful, are not always edible, but can still be composted or given to animals.
How to reduce waste
Let’s not let our decorative pumpkins end up forgotten in landfill, with a few precautions we can give them a second life, reducing waste and environmental impact:
Take inspiration from our recipes with pumpkin:
Sources: USDA / Hubbub / Adnkronos
