CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) - After Halloween is over, you might be left with a sad jack-o-lantern, so what do you do with it? National Candy Day: Top sweet stores in western Massachusetts Every year, thousands of pumpkins are tossed in the trash and end up in landfills, according to Better Homes & Gardens, but there are plenty of ways to recycle your Halloween pumpkins. To make room for the next holiday’s decorations at your home, try these recycling ideas: Most pumpkins are edible You can always bring clean, uncarved pumpkins to the kitchen to eat yourself. You can roast pumpkin seeds, or use the flesh of the pumpkin to make puree for any recipe that calls for the canned version. Some varieties like Jarrahdale, Hubbard, and Pie pumpkins are grown for eating, so they have naturally sweet, smooth flesh and may have more puree per pound of pumpkin.  It is recommended to only eat the pumpkins that you’ve kept inside. Pass Along Your Pumpkins See if you can donate your pumpkins to zoos, animal shelters, farms, or community gardens. They’ll be grateful for the compost material or animal snacks. Some towns have a pumpkin collection drive after Halloween, and some farms put out calls for local pumpkin donations. Feed birds with your pumpkins Turn your Halloween pumpkin into a bird feeder! Just cut a pumpkin in half horizontally, empty the cavity, and fill it with birdseed. Either leave it out or hang it from a tree with several lengths of thick twine or rope wrapped under the base. You can also add pumpkin seeds to your regular bird seed. Create compost Because pumpkins are so watery, they decompose quickly, but it’ll go even faster if you break them apart first. Remember to remove the seeds first, so your gourds don’t root in the pile. Play with your pumpkins Try pumpkin bowling by filling plastic bottles with water and setting them up in a 10-pin triangle. Take turns rolling your pumpkin bowling-ball-style to see who can knock down the most bottles. You can also look for a pumpkin-chucking catapult event in your area for a chance to send yours flying through the air. Feed the wildlife Your pumpkin also makes the perfect snack for neighborhood wildlife. Once you’re done displaying your pumpkins, cut them up into fourths and place pieces around your yard. Deer, rabbits, and other creatures will make short work of them. Don’t give animals any painted pumpkins. Local News Headlines East Longmeadow denying all outdoor burning permits Crash on Route 10 in Bernardston causes power outage Basketball Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich suffers ‘health issue,’ to be sidelined indefinitely Democrats call for investigation into grocery prices WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.