Good looks, good taste

Instead of orange and black, why not try a shade of green this Halloween?

Like any other holiday, the annual frightfest of costumes and candy presents many opportunities to have a significant — or little — impact on the environment, said Jackie Sillman, recycling coordinator for Yuba-Sutter Disposal Inc. Whether costumes, decorations or creative ways to enjoy a spooky evening, small choices can make a big difference.

This time of year Sillman gets a lot of phone calls "asking about pumpkins, of all things," she said. More than 1.1 billion pounds of the orange globes will be harvested across the United States this year, and Sillman estimates about 300 tons of pumpkins will be disposed of in Yuba and Sutter counties.

People tend to see the seasonal gourd as trash instead of an opportunity to reuse and recycle, she said. Pumpkins actually offer a lot of opportunities for creativity, the first of which is food.

"They are full of vitamins and will do more good in your stomach than in landfills," Sillman said. "Bake those puppies up and they're delicious."

Pumpkins have a lot of nutrients and the seeds can be scraped out and roasted. They just need to be cleaned, tossed with oil and salt and roasted at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.

A quick search for "pumpkin recipes" online reveals thousands of opportunities for pumpkin bread, soup, casserole, baby food and other creative delectables.

Once the insides are carved out, the exteriors make great flower vases, bird feeders and serving bowls and platters.

And when all other uses are exhausted, pumpkins can be fed to livestock or tossed into compost piles or yard waste containers. That way they don't take up precious landfill space and can be made into ecologically friendly fertilizer, Sillman said.

"A lot of time people just throw them in the gray cart and they end up being landfilled," she said. "Let's put it back in the green cart and put it back into the earth."

But pumpkins are not the only area where residents can reduce their environmental impact, Sillman said. Instead of throwaway bags for trick or treating, children can use reusable bags or pillowcases.

Rather than driving in search of candy, parents can stay in their neighborhoods and walk house-to-house with their children. And instead of buying new costumes, old ones can be reused or traded with others.

"Every little bit counts," Sillman said. "If you do a little bit and your neighbor does a little bit, it's huge!"

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Ashley Gebb at 749-4724 or agebb@appealdemocrat.com.