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By KIKI SIDERIS

Don’t let your Halloween pumpkin haunt the landfill this November.

More than 1 billion pounds of pumpkins rot in U.S. landfills each year after Halloween, according to the Department of Energy.

Yours doesn’t have to go to waste. Experts told us your pumpkins can be eaten, composted or even fed to animals. Here’s how.

Cooking with pumpkin waste

If you’re carving a jack-o’-lantern, don’t throw away the skin or innards — every part is edible.

After carving, you can cube the excess flesh — the thick part between the outer skin and the inner pulp that holds the seeds — for soups and stews, says Carleigh Bodrug, a chef known for cooking with common food scraps. You can also puree it and add a tablespoon to your dog’s dinner for extra nutrients. And pumpkin chunks can be frozen for future use.

“The seeds are a nutritional gold mine,” Bodrug said. They’re packed with protein, magnesium, zinc and healthy fats, according to a 2022 study in the journal Plants.

One of Bodrug’s recipes involves removing the seeds, rinsing and roasting them with cinnamon for a crunchy snack or salad topper. Then you can use the stringy guts to make a pumpkin puree for muffins. This version differs from canned purees in grocery stores — which typically use a different type of pumpkin or squash — because carving pumpkins have stringier innards and a milder flavor. A carving pumpkin’s guts can still be used for baking — you’ll just have to amp up the seasoning to boost the flavor.

If you don’t want to eat your pumpkins, you can donate them to a local farm, which might use them to feed pigs, chickens and other animals.

Edible parts should be collected while you’re carving and before it’s painted, decorated or left on your porch for weeks. Paint and wax aren’t food-safe, and bacteria and mold can grow on the skin in outdoor climates.

Once you’ve cooked what you can and donated what’s safe to feed, composting the rest is the easiest way to keep it out of the landfill.

“That way, even though they’re not safe to eat, they can still give back to the earth,” Bodrug said.

Composting at home or donating to a farm

Composting pumpkins keeps them out of methane-emitting landfills and turns them into nutrient-rich soil instead. You can do this at home or drop them off at a local farm, compost collection bin or drop-off site.

“A large percentage of what ends up going to the landfill is stuff that could have been composted,” said Dante Sclafani, compost coordinator at Queens County Farm in New York. “So even just cutting down something like pumpkins could really help curb how many garbage bags you’re putting out every week.”

Before composting, remove any candles, plastic, glitter, or other decorations — they can contaminate the compost. A little glitter or paint won’t ruin the pile, but it’s best to get it as clean as possible before tossing it in. Then, chop up the pumpkin in 1-inch pieces so it can break down easier.

“Pumpkins are full of water, so it’s important to maintain a good balance of dried leaves, wood chips, sawdust, shredded newspaper, cardboard, straw — anything that’s a dry organic material — in your compost bin,” Sclafani said. If you don’t maintain this balance, your compost might start to stink.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a healthy compost pile should include a mix of “greens” — like pumpkin scraps and food waste — and “browns” like dry leaves, straw or cardboard, in roughly a three-to-one ratio. That balance helps the pile break down faster and prevents odors.

And if your pumpkin’s been sitting on the porch all month? That’s actually ideal. “It’s never too far gone for compost,” Sclafani said. “Even if it’s mushy or moldy, that actually helps, because the fungus speeds up decomposition.”

“Composting anything organic is better than throwing it out because you’re not creating more refuse in landfills, you’re not creating methane gas,” said Laura Graney, the farm’s education director.

Graney said autumn on the farm is the perfect opportunity to teach kids about composting since it gives them a sense of power in the face of big environmental challenges.

“Even though they’re little, composting helps them feel like they can make a difference,” Graney said. “They take that message home to their families, and that’s how we spread the word.”

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

It’s already close to Halloween and most of us haven’t put up any decorations, right? You don’t want to spend your life savings or waste a lot of time, but it would be nice to do something …

Well, we’ve got you. Halloween expert and prop maker Derek Young can tell you how to quickly spookify your yard without breaking the bank.

Here are some of his tips:

Make tombstones for your front yard

Buy insulation foam and rebar from a home improvement store. You can make around 10 tombstones by spending $50 on foam. Then, use a box cutter or saw to cut the foam into tombstone shapes.

Next, draw the design for your tombstone onto the foam. If this is your first time, don’t go crazy with details. “I told you I was sick” will do. If you’re concerned about the lettering, make your design on your computer, print it out and trace it onto the foam. Then, use a safety blade or sharp knife to carve your design (and be very careful, of course).

When you’ve done carving, paint the tombstone with gray paint. The cheapest way to accomplish this is to go to the store and look for discounted paint that never got picked up. Then have it mixed so it will turn out gray.

Then, push the rebar into the ground where you’d like the tombstone to be, and attach them together. The easiest way to do this is to attach some piping to the tombstone and then slide it down over the rebar.

Young says that the average time for the project is 30-60 minutes.

Light things up

You can get away without a ton of decorations if the front of your place is colorful with spooky lights. You can find cheap versions of these at dollar and big-box stores. Obviously, orange and purple are now considered the spookiest choice.

A pair of toilet paper rolls can become spooky with glow sticks stuck in them, which will look like glowing eyes if you stick them in a bush.

Sounds

Put a Bluetooth speaker outside and play scary sound effects or music.

Spotify, Apple and other streaming services make great Halloween playlists. You can also look for CDs at discount stores with sounds and sound effects, or search for them online.

Projections

If you have a home projector, you can find Halloween content to play.

In fact, you can even buy Halloween projectors for around $20-$30 already loaded to project creepy light images onto your house. Find these on Amazon or at department stores. As of this writing, Five Below discount stores were offering simple projectors for only $5.

The Spectral Illusions (SpectralIlusions.com) company makes videos specifically for projection effects, from creepy Victorian brides and ghosts to skeletons and scary clowns, and they’re not terribly expensive.

You can also find plenty of spooky videos on YouTube that you can cast to your projector and then play outside on your house, including projection loops. Search for terms such as “Halloween projection.”

People who enjoy playing with videos online can download free Halloween projector videos from websites like Videezy, Mixkit and Vecteezy. Or go to CapCut to find tutorials and content on how to create these.

Security

How do you keep your displays from being vandalized or stolen? There’s no foolproof answer, except perhaps to bring expensive items inside at night. Some people will only put out their big displays on Halloween night.

The following is a list of Halloween trick-or-treating hours, Friday Oct. 31, for communities in Oakland County. Many communities have set trick-or-treating hours, but others do not. Homeowners are advised to leave their porch lights on to indicate they are distributing treats. For suggestions on Halloween safety, visit the National Safety Council website at www.nsc.org/community-safety/safety-topics/seasonal-safety/autumn-safety/halloween.

Auburn Hills

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-7 p.m. Oct. 31.

Berkley

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: no set hours, Oct. 31.

Beverly Hills

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 5:30-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Bingham Farms

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: no set hours, Oct. 31.

Birmingham

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: no set hours, Oct. 31.

Bloomfield Hills

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Bloomfield Twp.

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: no set hours, Oct. 31. Subdivisions and neighborhoods may have set trick-or-treating hours.

Clarkston/Independence Twp.

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-7 p.m. Oct. 31 for Clarkston and Independence Township

Clawson

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: no set hours, Oct. 31.

Commerce Twp.

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Farmington

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: suggested hours are 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Farmington Hills

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: no set hours, Oct. 31.

Fenton

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Ferndale

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: suggested hours are 6-8 p.m., Oct. 31.

Franklin

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: suggested hours are 5-7 p.m. Oct. 31.

Hazel Park

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-8 p.m., Oct. 31.

Highland Twp.

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: suggested hours are 6-8 p.m., Oct. 31.

Holly/Holly Twp.

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Huntington Woods

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-8 p.m., Oct. 31.

Keego Harbor

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-7:30 p.m. Oct. 31.

Lake Orion/Orion Twp.

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Lathrup Village

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: no set hours, recommended 5-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Leonard

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-7 p.m. Oct. 31.

Lyon Twp.

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: suggested hours are 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Madison Heights

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: no set hours Oct. 31, but customary is 6-8 p.m.

Milford

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-8 p.m., Oct. 31.

Northville

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-8 p.m., Oct. 31. Downtown historic district streets will be closed from 5:30-8 p.m.

Novi

• Halloween recommended trick-or-treating hours: 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Oakland Twp.

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: no set hours, Oct. 31. Subdivisions and neighborhoods may have set trick-or-treating hours.

Orchard Lake

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: suggested hours are 5-8 p.m., Oct. 31.

Ortonville/Brandon Twp.

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Oct. 31. A bonfire and cider and donuts to follow at the DPW garage, 159 Cedar St., Ortonville. Ortonville is collecting Halloween candy donations, which may be dropped off at 476 Mill Street, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday to Thursday, by Oct. 27. For information, call 248-627-4976 or email villageclerk@ortonville.com.

Oxford/Oxford Twp.

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-7:30 p.m. Oct. 31.

Pleasant Ridge

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: suggested hours are 5-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Pontiac

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Rochester/Rochester Hills

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31 in Rochester and Rochester Hills.

Royal Oak

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: no set hours, Oct. 31.

Southfield

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: recommended hours are 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

South Lyon

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Springfield Twp.

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: no set hours, Oct. 31.

Sylvan Lake

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-7:30 p.m. Oct. 31.

Troy

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Walled Lake

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Waterford Twp.

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: suggested hours are 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31. The Waterford Police Dept. will scan candy, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Waterford Police Station, 5150 Civic Center Drive, Waterford Twp., www.waterfordmi.gov/162/Police.

West Bloomfield Twp.

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: suggested hours are 6-8 p.m., Oct. 31.

White Lake Twp.

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: suggested hours are 6-7:30 p.m. Oct. 31.

Wixom

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-8:30 p.m., Oct. 31.

Wolverine Lake

• Halloween trick-or-treating hours: 6-8 p.m., Oct. 31.