Mark W Leach

Every year, viral social media posts tell us to bleach pumpkins to preserve them. And every year, I post: please don't do that. Pumpkins are food. Wild animals will nibble a jack-o'-lantern, so bleach, paint and plastic decorations turn a pumpkin into contaminated food. Wildlife agencies recommend keeping pumpkins free of chemical preservatives. You can preserve your pumpkins longer by keeping them cool and bringing them inside between displays. It's also reasonable to accept that pumpkins are perishable and they will rot over time. As they should. When your jack-o-lantern is done, remove candles, wax and decorations. Compost an untreated pumpkin or use an approved municipal drop-off. Don't dump piles of pumpkins in parks or preserves; even organic waste is litter when it concentrates food, spreads non-native seeds and attracts animals to roads and people. Painted or treated pumpkins belong in the trash unless local guidance says otherwise. Further reading on this: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pumpkin guidance; Illinois Extension pumpkin disposal guidance.