It might be tempting to let Halloween pumpkins rot into something even spookier on the front porch, but when it’s time to dispose of them don’t choose the garbage can. A social media post by the King County Solid Waste Division is encouraging residents to choose composting for a number of reasons. It’s estimated that 30% of King County's landfill material is organic material, like pumpkins. Joe Basille is a communications specialist with King County Solid Waste Division and says all organic waste isn’t equal. “When you put something like a pumpkin in the landfill it’s going to break down very slowly and emit methane, which is a more powerful greenhouse gas," Basille said. Methane is problematic for our atmosphere and has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere. Composting can be done at home and it’s suggested that pumpkins are smashed or cut into pieces and buried for easier decomposition. Some choose to leave the pumpkin pieces for wildlife to eat but do understand that it might also attract rodents. READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.king5.com/article/tech/science/environment/compost-your-pumpkins/281-fa58e61b-3fdd-48f5-8e27-d6df09b48479