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Halloween pumpkin recycling scheme

Published

Thursday 22 October, 2026

Updated

Thursday 22 October, 2026

Residents can pick, carve and then recycle their pumpkins this Halloween thanks to Swale Borough Council’s pumpkin recycling scheme.

If you can’t fit your chopped pumpkin in your food waste bin, recycling sites will once again be set up across the borough for locals to dispose of their Halloween jack-o-lanterns, and to help reduce the amount of waste being incinerated.

Dedicated pumpkin wheelie bins will be located in Central car park in Faversham, Rose Street car park in Sheerness and Central Avenue car park in Sittingbourne from Tuesday 27 October until Friday 6 November.

The pumpkins will be collected by our waste contractor Suez and taken to the Countrystyle composting facility in Ridham to be turned into renewable energy and farm fertiliser.

Pumpkins can also be cut up and placed inside your food waste caddy, to be collected on your weekly collection day.

Cllr Dolley Wooster, chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee, said:

“Pumpkin carving is a great activity to get into the Halloween spirit and have family fun, but it is not only messy it also creates a lot of food waste.

“But all of Swale’s pumpkins still have so much to give after we have had our fun; they can be used to create renewable energy and become soil conditioners helping our farmers grow the good we rely on.

“You can cut them up and place them in your food waste caddy, which are free to order from our website, but we know they take up a lot of space and may not fit. That is why we have set up these pumpkin collection bins again.

“Please never place pumpkins, or any food waste, in your blue recycling bin. Food is the number one contaminator in Swale and ruins whole loads of recyclable material - so please make sure you are disposing of your household waste correctly.”

The pumpkin recycling sites will be in:

  • Central Car Park, Leslie Smith Dr, Faversham ME13 8PW
  • Central Avenue Car Park, Central Ave, Sittingbourne ME10 9GY
  • Rose Street Car Park, Rose St, Sheerness ME12 1AJ

The bins are checked every day, but if residents find they are full, please contact the council on 01795 417888 so the bins can be replaced.