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Halloween: What to do with your leftover pumpkins

son-and-dad-with-pumpkins.Image source, Getty Images
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Thinking of throwing away those Halloween pumpkins this weekend? Think again!

It's estimated that more than half of the 24 million pumpkins carved for Halloween in Britain won't be eaten at all, according to food charity Hubbub.

The UK grows around 10 million pumpkins each year and most of them end up being carved up as Halloween lanterns.

But how often do you eat the pulp and seeds that you cut out?

Thousand of tonnes of edible pumpkin leftovers get thrown away. The insides of the spooky veg are cut out, binned and end up in landfills, creating gases which are harmful to the environment.

But lots of the pumpkins we throw away can actually be re-used!

"Pumpkins are a valuable source of food and are not just for decoration," said Tessa Tricks, from Hubbub.

"Even if it's labelled a carving pumpkin, you can still eat it and it will taste delicious with spices like chilli, ginger or cumin," she added.

So do you fancy a treat? Here are some simple tricks to stop waste from Halloween pumpkins.

Monstrous munches

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How to make the most of your leftover pumpkins

Did you know pumpkins aren't just for carving?

The insides can be used to make lots of different tasty meals.

Pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, and even pumpkin curry can be made with the flesh from leftover Halloween pumpkins.

Why not grab a parent and get cooking some delicious pumpkin treats?

Boo-tiful hair

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Fancy a pumpkin hair mask?

Pumpkin is said to be very good for your hair.

There are many hair masks that include pumpkins to help condition your locks and this works for both straight and curly hair, so everyone can give it a go.

There are plenty of recipes for pumpkin masks online so get your parents to help you find one and give it go - top tip - remove the seeds.

Seedy snacking

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You can roast your pumpkin seeds and make healthy snacks

The seeds of a pumpkin are often wasted once the flesh has been removed from Halloween Jack-O'-Lanterns. But they can be used in lots of ways.

Why not have a go at growing your own pumpkins using the seeds?

The seeds can also be toasted and made into a yummy snack - and not just for us.

Birds can eat these seeds too. Try putting some in a bird feeder and place it in your garden.

Creepy composting

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Everyone get composting!

Every year lots of pumpkins are chucked away. These often end up in landfill where they rot and produce a gas called methane.

This contributes to climate change and is not good for our environment.

Composting your pumpkins can help the environment and also encourage your plants to grow.

Let us know in the comments how you decided to reuse your left over pumpkins this year...