Forty-six fourth-grade students from Lakeview Elementary took a break from their normal Monday routine to watch firefighters from the Valley Regional Fire Authority smash pumpkins at Mosby Brothers Farms in Auburn, illustrating how much food can be diverted from local landfills by recycling.

Firefighters Dean McAuley and Ross Tucci tossed the used-up jack-o’-lanterns from the bucket of the department’s new ladder truck, hurling the pumpkins onto a tarp below.

“The average King County single-family household throws away about 45 pounds of food scraps and food-soiled paper every month.” Gerty Coville, King County recycling program manager said in a press release. “Items such as vegetable and fruit trimmings, meats, fish and poultry scraps and bones, plate scrapings, egg shells, coffee grounds, paper towels and napkins–even greasy pizza delivery boxes–all can be recycled in your yard waste cart. If you don’t have curbside yard waste service, call your garbage hauler to sign up and start recycling.”

The gooey remnants of pumpkin guts were then shoveled into yard waste carts, demonstrating the sheer volume of food that can be diverted from the landfill.

After being picked up curbside, the yard waste is sent on to a local compost facility and turned into nutrient-rich compost from Cedar Grove, which is available at local hardware and garden stores.

“What better way to get the attention of residents than to throw pumpkins off a fire truck. The pumpkin smash event is a creative way to teach residents about food scrap recycling,” said Kathleen Edman, City of Auburn Solid Waste customer care specialist.

Although 91 percent of King County residents say they participate in their curbside recycling program, more than half of what ends up in King County’s Cedar Hills Regional Landfill is readily recyclable.

“We feel this is an important message and want to do our part to support local agencies like the Auburn School District and King County’s regional recycling program,” said Kelly Williams, public information and education officer for Valley Regional Fire Authority.

For more information about recycling in King County, visit www.kingcounty.gov/recyclemore or www.recyclefood.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/recyclemore.