Following next week's spooky celebrations, many locals may be left wondering if pumpkins can be placed in the food waste bin.

In March, it was announced that around 60,000 properties across Stafford would receive two new containers for food waste in preparation for a new collection service which began in April.

The Government-funded scheme is part of a national drive to increase the amount of food waste being recycled across the country.

On average, around 80 tonnes of food is collected from Stafford homes each week.

The borough council recently confirmed that residents can place pumpkins into the food caddies after Halloween (31 October) and locals are encouraged to do so as long as candles, lights and other non-edible decorations are removed.

18,000 tonnes of pumpkins are thrown away uneaten after Halloween in the UK.

The 'Love Food Hate Waste' website has plenty of ideas of how to turn pumpkins into brownies, risotto, muffins and much more.

The food waste is taken to an 'anaerobic digestion' plant to be converted into energy and the digestate produced used in agriculture to improve soil.

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Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Ian Fordham, said: "Our residents have been fantastic in supporting the new food waste service which was the biggest change to household recycling across the whole borough for more than a decade.

"And we expect to see that waste increase in the days following Halloween when people have finished with their pumpkins - although I hope residents will take the time to look at the ideas on the 'Love Food Hate Waste' website."

Items that can go in the caddies are as follows:

• Fruit and vegetables - including peelings
• Fish, meat and bones
• Tea bags and coffee grounds
• Eggs and dairy products

Items that can't go in the caddies include:

• Liquids
• Oils
• Fats
• Garden waste
• Food packaging

Find out more here.

Header image via Walter Baxter on Geograph