83% OF PEOPLE WILL RECYCLE PUMPKINS THIS HALLOWEEN SAYS SURVEY BY THE DELICIOUS DESSERT COMPANY

LONDON, Oct. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With Cop27 round the corner, new research suggests Halloween is getting sustainable. A new poll of 2,000 adults by The Delicious Dessert Company revealed that 83% of people say they will recycle their Halloween pumpkins this year. Just over a third (36%) said they planned to make a batch of soup with it, while a quarter (23%) planned to make a pumpkin pie with their leftover carved pumpkin. In addition, 28% of people would be leaving the pumpkins out to feed local wildlife, while a fifth would be using the seeds either for toasting (19%) or planting (21%). 

By some way, younger people were the most environmentally-minded, according to the results. Of the 84% of people aged under 25 who were buying a pumpkin this year, the vast majority (86%) planned to re-use it after carving it. By contrast, for those aged over 65, the proportion who planned to recycle it fell to 77%.

With issues of food waste and the rising cost of food firmly front of mind, only 17% of pumpkin pickers say they will throw away their pumpkin after Halloween. 

The research comes as The Delicious Dessert Company launches a range of Halloween cakes, including cream-filled pumpkin profiteroles.

Claire Smith. Head of Insight at The Delicious Dessert Company commented:

"Re-using a perfectly good pumpkin once the parties are over is a great way of saving costs and reducing waste. The fact so many people are looking to recycle their Jack-o-lanterns in the kitchen, garden or however else this year is a positive reflection of people's need to maximise the value of what they consume and the need to do their bit for the environment. Halloween is often seen as a good way of lifting people's spirits – in more ways than one - as the nights draw in, with this year feeling gloomier than most. We hope our new range of cakes do just that."

Notes to Editors

The research was conducted by MaruBlu among a representative sample of 2,021 consumers during the second week of October 2022