By Meredith Bloch, Impact Associate
Spooky season is commencing across the United States, with families—and farmers—gearing up to embrace the changing season with festive pumpkin patches, pumpkin carving, pumpkin painting, and pumpkin doorstep sprucing. A seemingly harmless habit of modern culture is to prop open the door to fall with an overabundance of pumpkins. Yet, rarely does anyone pause at a Georgetown stoop to question the fleeting vitality of the pumpkin, and thus, what happens once the jack-o’-lantern’s smile begins to frown, its vibrant orange color turns brown, and the perfectly painted white pumpkin droops, shallow and round?
A lot goes into growing a pumpkin before it arrives at your local grocery store, and much of that process involves water. Pumpkins are approximately 80–90% water, and producing a healthy pumpkin requires sufficient moisture throughout the growing season. In fact, their physical characteristics contribute to their water demands. Pumpkins rely on broad leaves to perform photosynthesis, but this large surface area also allows water to escape through evapotranspiration. Additionally, despite their size, pumpkin plants have relatively shallow root systems, making them susceptible to dry spells and surface-level water evaporation, especially during early fall heat waves. Due to these factors, one estimate suggests that producing pumpkins and squashes requires around 44 gallons of water per pound. (Planet Forward)
Agriculture accounts for approximately 70% of global freshwater withdrawals. Although animal products utilize a substantial share of agriculture’s water footprint, the production of fruits and vegetables—including our beloved pumpkins—also requires significant water resources. What distinguishes pumpkin production from that of many other fruits and vegetables is how many pumpkins are grown for decoration rather than consumption. According to the USDA’s estimates of the U.S. pumpkin market, a substantial proportion of pumpkins are sold for ornamental purposes, particularly during the fall season. As a result, pumpkins grown for carving and decorating can contribute to food waste when they are discarded after Halloween. Once dumped in landfills, decomposing pumpkins can release methane, a greenhouse gas with approximately 28–36 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
So, what does this look like on a neighborhood scale? The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Georgetown has approximately 3,551 housing units. Walking the streets of Georgetown, I would estimate that around 1,500 of these homes display pumpkins during the fall season. Assuming each pumpkin-decorated home has an average of two pumpkins—a conservative estimate for many elaborately decorated stoops, but one that may account for an overestimate in the number of homes displaying them—that would put the neighborhood total at approximately 3,000 pumpkins.
If each pumpkin weighs an estimated 8.75 pounds, Georgetown could have approximately 26,250 pounds of pumpkins eventually headed for disposal. Using the estimate of 44 gallons of water per pound, the water footprint associated with growing those pumpkins would amount to approximately 1,155,000 gallons—that is enough water to fill nearly 38,500 average baths. Of course, this is an estimate rather than a measured count, and not every pumpkin will end up in a landfill, yet it illustrates the resources embedded in what may seem like a harmless seasonal decoration. If a single neighborhood can account for this much water usage, imagine the impact across the country, and the globe!
The aim of this article is not to look down on those who celebrate fall with pumpkins, but to raise awareness of their circularity—the reality that they do not simply disappear the moment we put them in a trash bin. Pumpkins have a life beyond the front stoop, and there are several ways Georgetown residents can give them a more sustainable ending.
One option is to explore local food-waste drop-off programs and the District of Columbia’s food-waste smart bins. Georgetown residents can bring pumpkins to participating neighborhood food-waste drop-off events or use the city’s 24/7 food-waste smart bins. For the Georgetown community, the smart bin at Volta Park, on 34th Street between Volta and Q Streets NW, may offer a convenient destination. Residents should check current locations and accepted materials through the Zero Waste DC Portal before making a trip. Be sure to remove non-organic materials, such as candles, wax, paint, and glitter, and cut pumpkins into three-inch chunks if required by the program.
Other options may be available, too. Some farms and wildlife sanctuaries accept pumpkins as animal feed, although residents should always check with the facility before dropping them off. Community composting programs can transform discarded pumpkins into nutrient-rich compost that returns organic matter to the soil. For those who would rather keep their pumpkins at home, there are plenty of ways to make use of them before disposal: cook and freeze pumpkin purée for breads and pies, roast the seeds for a seasonal snack, or explore homemade pumpkin-based personal-care recipes such as face and hair masks! (https://www.nationalgeographic.com)
Ultimately, the goal is not to eliminate a tradition that makes fall feel like fall. It is to recognize the resources behind the decorations we enjoy and to make thoughtful choices about what happens when the season ends. A pumpkin may only spend a few weeks on a Georgetown stoop, but the water used to grow it, and the environmental consequences of throwing it away, extend far beyond October. For this spooky season, perhaps the most festive way to celebrate is to give our pumpkins a less scary ending.
