Pumpkins were cut down Saturday from the parking lot of a Winnipeg shopping center, as part of an annual event aimed at reducing waste going to landfills.

Green Action Centre’s Pumpkin Drop has returned to Polo Park Shopping Center for its fourth year, giving people the chance to dispose of their leftover gourds after Halloween in a fun way.

“We collect these pumpkins and a portion of them are sent to the Little Red Barn Animal Sanctuary to feed the animals,” said Karrie Blackburn, Compost Winnipeg sales and customer service manager. “Then the pumpkins carved into jack-o-lanterns all go to the compost pile to be made into finished compost, which returns those nutrients to the food system.”

Blackburn said the event sees thousands of pumpkins each year and continues to grow with each drop.

“We get 2,000 to 3,000 pumpkins easily,” she said.

Before they are dropped from the second level of the parking lot, the pumpkins are inspected to make sure they are free of any debris, like candles, glitter or googly eyes.

Once thrown into the Compost Winnipeg collection bin, they are transported to a facility where they are turned into compost within three to six months.

The compost is then used for landfill remediation – transforming landfills into park-like green spaces, similar to Garbage Hill.

“Our landfills cannot go unmanaged,” Blackburn said. “They need to be taken care of, and covering them with finished compost to turn them into green space is a great way to do that.”

For those who missed the event, Blackburn said they can add their pumpkin to the City of Winnipeg leaf and yard waste or take it to any community drop-off point around the city. More information can be found on the city website website.