What to do with old pumpkins in Topeka
TOPEKA (KSNT) — Don't know what to do with your leftover pumpkins? Try taking them to the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center.
Topekans with uncarved pumpkins can take a trip down to the zoo now that Halloween is over. Pumpkins can be used to provide food and enrichment to the resident animals.
People can also make use of pumpkins that have become old and mushy by placing them in compost bins, or by giving them over to farm animals. Chickens can make use of your leftover pumpkins, saving you the effort of throwing them away.
"They make really good enrichment for the chickens so you can put their feed inside of the pumpkin, or they will even just sit there and peak at the pumpkin itself and if you cared for them it might carve itself into a really fun extra spooky shape," said Hunter Mangel with the Topeka Zoo.
Pumpkins can create methane gas if left in landfills, which can be harmful to the environment. Experts recommend cutting pumpkins up into pieces, then burying them in the ground to help the environment.
You can find the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center at 635 Southwest Gage Boulevard. For more information on the zoo and its hours, head over to its website.
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