Halloween is just the beginning of people decorating the front porch with so-called "organic decoration".

Use items such as hay bales, gourds, corn stalks, and pumpkins-in the next few weeks, homes and businesses will be decorated in a series of creepy appearances, and then give way to wreaths and greenery of Christmas trees.

Officials at the Yardwaste Recycling Center in Springfield urged that all these organic items can and should be recycled.

Market Development Coordinator Ashley Krug explained that about two years ago, landfills in the area generated an average of 800 tons of waste per day, compared to 1,500 tons during the week of Christmas. Today, the average amount of waste in landfills is 1,100 tons.

"We live in the Midwest, and I have a Midwest mother who likes to decorate with what we call'organic decor'," Kruger said.

In the 1980s, Missouri and some other states banned yard waste from entering landfills. Kruger said that organic materials are not suitable for landfills because it can be turned into better things, such as compost and mulch.

"The Yard Waste Recycling Center has existed since the early 1990s, and this is actually in response to our state's basic ban on yard waste," she added.

Krug said that the Ministry of Natural Resources conducts research on the composition of waste in landfills every 5 to 10 years.

“One thing we discovered in this study is that about 12% of the waste from municipal solid waste is food waste,” she said. Food waste is an important source of methane, which is a powerful gas that can be attributed to climate change.

Kruger said that Americans buy about 2 billion pumpkins each year, but they are hot commodities in a short period of time, and more than half of them end up in the trash. Pumpkins and other organic waste can be composted at little or no cost.

Organic decorations can be delivered to the Yardwaste Recycling Center at 3790 S. Farm Road 119. The center accepts cut grass and leaves, as well as brushes and branches up to 4 feet long and 6 inches in diameter. Large brushes and limb treatments will incur costs depending on the size of the load. The cost of a regular car or pickup truck or trailer under eight feet is $8. 

The city also accepts a limited number of brushes and yard waste at the Franklin Avenue Recycling Center (731 N. Franklin) and Lone Pine Recycling Center (3020 S. Lone Pine). The center accepts sticks, mowing and leaves, limited to 10 bags.

Kruger said the city is studying solutions to food waste. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these efforts have been delayed.

Visit https://www.springfieldmo.gov/foodwaste to learn about home composting and other food waste solutions.

Sara Karnes is an outdoor reporter for Springfield News-Leader. Follow her adventures on Twitter and Instagram @Sara_Karnes. Do you have a story to tell? Email her skarnes@springfi.gannett.com.