October News from Clark County Green Neighbors

February 2025 ‍

Hello Visitor, 

Fall season has arrived and everything is pumpkin flavored! Time to pick out your favorite costume and decide which scary monster to transform your pumpkin into. 

Many of us enjoy a good scare during Halloween, but most don’t know about the true terror that happens when the festivities end: the waste! Especially the 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins that end up in the landfills. Landfills are an anaerobic environment (lacking oxygen) causing organic material like pumpkins to produce methane, which is a greenhouse gas at least 28 times as potent as carbon dioxide. 

Instead of throwing out your pumpkins and sending them to the landfill, remember that composting is the most sustainable option! 

In Clark County, we have several options available to help you keep your pumpkins out of the landfill:

• Free Drop-Off: We Compost Community Hubs are available to all Clark County residents. These hubs provide the community with a free and easy way to compost all food waste (not just pumpkins). Look up a hub location in your neighborhood and start dropping off your household food waste and pumpkins: https://clarkgreenneighbors.org/we-compost  
• Curbside Compost: In Clark County, pumpkins are accepted in Yard Debris carts during the months of October and November. Pumpkins are also accepted in Organics carts all year - however these carts are only available in City of Vancouver and City of Ridgefield.
• Backyard Compost: If you have a home compost system, chop up pumpkins into smaller pieces and place into your compost bin or pile. If you want to learn how to compost, check out free workshops and virtual resources with the Clark County Composter Recycler (@ComposterRecyclerProgram) program: https://clarkcountycomposts.org/  

Remember to prep pumpkins for compost – this means that all candles, wax, glitter, paint and decorations should be removed. Tip for painted pumpkins: try washing off paint or peeling off with a vegetable peeler. 

To learn more, check out our pumpkin composting blog.

‍We're partnering with Optiwatt, the highest-rated app of its kind, to give EV drivers an easy way to optimize their EV's electricity usage without changing their charging routines. 

The program is easy to sign up for, taking only about three minutes. During the program, Optiwatt and Clark Public Utilities will work with your EV’s software to schedule about 20 four-hour, limited charging events per month. During this time, the Optiwatt app will automatically optimize your charging to ensure your car is charged when you need it. Customers can also opt out of events if they’re inconvenient.

More than 650 participants have already joined and have reported positive experiences. We've also had more than 99% participation in each event.

 
If you have questions about the program, please contact us at EVcharging@clarkpud.com, 360-992-3000 or visit www.clarkpublicutilities.com/managedcharging. To register for the program, download the Optiwatt app to your phone or visit www.optiwatt.com.

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