The Henrico Environmental Action Resource Team (H.E.A.R.T.) and Keep Henrico Beautiful will host a pumpkin composting program from Nov. 1 to 8. The initiative offers an environmentally friendly way for residents to dispose of leftover pumpkins without increasing landfill waste.
Residents will be able to drop off their Halloween pumpkins for free at the Springfield Road Public Use Area, 10600 Fords Country Lane, or Charles City Road Public Use Area, 2075 Charles City Road. Pumpkins can be carved but cannot have paint or other artificial decorations on them.
Following the pumpkin composting, the county will continue the composting program by accepting kitchen scraps from residents for free. The program is not available to businesses. Henrico has contracted with NOPE Compost Co. to provide bins at the public use areas for residents to discard kitchen scraps and other compostable materials. NOPE will periodically empty the bins and turn the contents into compost. The nonprofit then will distribute the organic material to its business partners throughout the central Virginia and Tidewater areas to boost sustainability in the region. Using compost is important for the health of both the soil and waterways, and redirecting these items from the landfills reduces greenhouse gas production, according to NOPE.
To learn more about H.E.A.R.T.’s initiatives, visit henrico.gov/heart/. To learn more about composting at home, visit Keep Henrico Beautiful’s information webpage.
