Community composting available through November 30
The Town of Mountain Village presents a free opportunity to compost pumpkins and other compostable materials after Halloween, October 30-November 30 (or until containers are full).
This free composting event is presented in partnership with the Town of Telluride and San Miguel County. The community at large is invited to bring pumpkins (free of all non-compostable decorative items) and other household waste (yard waste, garden clippings, kitchen food scraps, and more). Restaurants and businesses are also encouraged to participate.
The composting container will be placed near the entrance to the Gondola Parking Garage, adjacent to the Village Market and Mountain Village Town Hall. A full list of accepted materials can be found online at bit.ly/MVPumpkinComposting.
“We are excited to offer free community composting for the fourth year in a row,” said Mountain Village’s Environmental Efficiencies and Grant Coordinator Lauren Kirn. “We invite you to drop off pumpkins, food scraps, etc. to divert this material from the landfill, reduce your carbon footprint and help us meet our zero waste goal. Thank you to San Miguel County and Telluride for collaborating to make this a regional benefit!”
Over 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins are sent to the landfill each year. In landfills, pumpkins decompose without exposure to oxygen, which releases methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Oxygen is present when pumpkins are composted properly, preventing methane from being created.
Pumpkins are 90 percent water and contain valuable nutrients. Instead of wasting these resources and the resources used to grow pumpkins (e.g., energy and water) in a landfill, composting returns these nutrients to the earth.
The Town of Mountain Village will weigh the compost collected after the event to understand the amount of food waste diverted from the landfill and calculate the associated greenhouse gas emissions avoided and water rescued.
To learn more about what can be composted, please visit bit.ly/MVPumpkinComposting.
