With the end of spooky season and the beginning of the holidays around the corner, here are a few tips for keeping your outdoor decorations cute, seasonal, and safe for our local wildlife and environment, courtesy of the Hilliard Environmental Sustainability Commission!
Decoration do’s and don’ts
House and yard decorations are a staple in fall and winter, but did you know they can cause some problems for our outdoor furry friends?
Fake spiderwebs for Halloween can easily trap birds, bats, and other curious animals. Instead, keep the artificial spiderwebs inside or try window clings.
Holiday lights and lighted displays can also affect wildlife. Bright or flashing lights can disorient animals at night, so turning off outdoor displays before bed keeps disturbances to a minimum.
The same goes for decorations that use audio. Loud noises can disrupt local wildlife, particularly at night.
Check your yard regularly. Outdoor decorations can break apart, strings can come loose, or items to blow away. Check decorations periodically to make sure everything is secure.
Skip the bleach and keep your pumpkins natural. Coating pumpkins in bleach may seem like a good technique for keeping animals from munching on your decorations, but it’s not a foolproof deterrent. To help discourage nibbling without exposing wildlife to potentially harmful chemicals, try spraying your pumpkins with a natural cayenne pepper solution.
Give your decorations new life
Keeping your pumpkins free of bleach and paint also makes them suitable for composting! The City offers a free pumpkin composting drop-off each year in the Public Service Department parking lot at 3790 Municipal Way.
This year, pumpkin composting will be available 24/7 from Nov. 1 through Dec. 7.
The City also offers holiday light recycling. Stay tuned for upcoming information closer to the end of the year about recycling your old holiday lights.
