Severn Trent Green Power is gearing up to handle a substantial influx of leftover pumpkins, expected to exceed 50,000.
These pumpkins will be transformed into renewable energy.
The company anticipates generating around 22MWh of energy from these leftover pumpkins.
This quantity of energy can adequately power close to 2,000 homes for an entire day.
The recycling of unwanted pumpkins is essential to prevent them from being consigned to landfills, where they decompose and release methane.
Local councils typically have provisions for pumpkin collection, often alongside other food waste.
For instance, in Oxfordshire, there was a notable increase in the volume of food waste observed in the week following Halloween.
Similarly, in the Midlands, a substantial amount of local authority waste passed through the East and West Birmingham anaerobic digestion facilities during the same period.
Andrew Simm, Commercial Director for Green Power, said: “Last year we saw a big spike in food
waste tonnages into our facilities in the week immediately after Halloween and we expect much of that food waste can be directly attributed to pumpkins, which can weigh on average about four kilogrammes each.”
