I chose a carved pumpkin post Halloween. When I first think about a decaying pumpkin I think of filth. It is dirty, gooey, smelly, and I probably wouldn’t want to touch it with my bare hands. As we get further and further away from Halloween it also becomes out of place. A pumpkin on your front step or balcony in October is acceptable but a week into November it becomes more and more out of place. But as a person who composts, the pumpkin now becomes a resource because it will help enrich the compost which will help plant more pumpkins next year.  

The idea of the pumpkin being filthy makes the most sense in connection with why it is considered waste. When things seem gross and smelly you are more likely to want to throw them away while the idea of the pumpkin as a resource does the opposite. Because the pumpkin is starting to decompose already it will make great compost.