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AMES, Iowa — Turning another page on the calendar means spooky season is in the rear view and the Great Pumpkin Disposal project has officially started in Story County.

The city of Ames is asking residents to place pumpkins inside drop-off bins near their Resource Recover Plant, instead of tossing them in the trash.

Ames has a waste energy disposal system, where they process garbage and use it in combination with natural gas to fuel the Ames Power Plant. Most food waste makes for terrible fuel because it has high moisture content and doesn’t burn well. Therefore, for the last seven years, city officials have collected pumpkins in bins instead.

Susan Gwiasda is the communications manager for the city of Ames. She said farmers looking to feed their animals are welcome to stop by and take pumpkins from the bin. Otherwise, all of the pumpkins will be composted.

Last year, 23,300 pounds of pumpkin was collected and over the course of the seven years that the city held this project, close to 100,000 pounds of pumpkin was collected.

Gwiasda said residents should remove any non-compostable decorations from the pumpkin before dropping it off in the bin.

The bins will be outside the Resource Recover Plant on the north side of the plant along East Second Street.

Decaying pumpkins, gourds, corn, and harvest vegetables will be accepted in these bins through Sunday, December 1st.