FAMILIES have been urged to go green this Halloween by composting their unwanted pumpkins.

The council is anxious to cut the amount of waste from the borough ending up in landfill sites - and wants households to recycle more of the fibrous fruits once they have finished with them.

Thousands of pumpkins are sold in Redbridge each year during Halloween, with most ending up in the bin after being used to make lanterns, pies and soups.

But the council wants residents to use them for compost instead, to be used during the coming year.

A council spokeswoman said: "By composting you can cut the contents of your average household rubbish by a third.

"A majority of pumpkins end up in landfill after Halloween. They are entirely natural and the simple solution is to compost them and use the compost to help grow another pumpkin for next year."

For more information visit: recyclenow.com/compost or call: 0845 600 0323.