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Pumpkin Smash resounding success

Pumpkin Smash events in the Comox Valley and Campbell River were a resounding success.

The Comox Strathcona waste management service’s (CSWM) Pumpkin Smash at the beginning of this month in the Comox Valley and Campbell River, was a resounding success.

More than seven tonnes (7,000 kilograms) of pumpkin waste were diverted from going to the landfills in those two locations.

All the pumpkins that were smashed at the event were transported to the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) compost facility where the organic matter will be used in the production of

SkyRocket, a nutrient-rich soil amendment for lawns and gardens, developed and sold by the regional district.

“We have gone from collecting four and a half tonnes in 2011 to collecting the equivalent weight of all the players in four National Hockey League teams,” said Koreen Gurak, CVRD’s manager of

communications. “Residents have recognized that composting organic food waste is a simple thing to do to help save valuable space in the landfill and cut the greenhouse gas emissions that would be generated if the pumpkins ended up in the landfill.”

Timed to coincide with Halloween, the Pumpkin Smash attracts a larger crowd each time it is held, with hundreds of families coming out this year. It was a perfect opportunity for people to learn

about composting as a means of waste reduction.

The Pumpkin Smash represents the last event of the season for the compost education centres. The centres are now closed and will reopen to the public for regularly scheduled hours in April 2013.

The Comox Strathcona Waste Management (CSWM) service is a function of the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) and is responsible for two regional waste management centres that serve

the Comox Valley and Campbell River, as well as a range of transfer stations and smaller waste-handling and recycling facilities for the electoral areas of the CVRD and the Strathcona Regional

District.

The CSWM service manages over 100,000 tonnes of waste and recycled material and oversees a number of diversion and education programs.

— Comox Strathcona waste management