After the witching hour is over, habit usually prevails and our pumpkins get thrown in the waste, but did you know they can be recycled?

Once the Halloween festivities are finished and your carved out pumpkin master piece is no longer on display, they can be used to enrich the soil.

South Hams District Council have advised residents to either compost used pumpkins at home or put them in food waste bins along with other food left-overs.

Cllr. Rufus Gilbert, lead Executive Member for Commercial Services said, “This Halloween you can really help us make the most of your left-over pumpkins.

“Our food and garden waste is composted in special facilities so it can be used as a soil conditioner on farmland.

Cllr. Gilbert said how cutting up your pumpkin and putting it all in the brown food waste bins, “can really help us to increase our food recycling rates.”

This will help across the UK to reduce the estimated 18,000 tonnes of food waste that is sent to landfill each year, the equivalent weight of 1,500 double decker buses.

These ambitions have been mirrored by Devon County Council as they attempt to reduce the 18,000 tonnes of pumpkin waste sent to landfill each year.

They also remind people that the pumpkin flesh can be used to make some delicious food or spooky treats, instead of just being thrown away.

Hence, your pumpkins can not only provide Halloween entertainment but also help the environment by enriching the soil and avoiding the landfill sites.