Tens of thousands of pumpkin zombies are scattered all over Madison looking for a place to go.

"Halloween pumpkins are all over Madison seeking a new life as compost," Madison recycling coordinator George Dreckmann said. "These roving orange zombies could prove disruptive unless you provide them an outlet for their desire to live on. Don't suffer a zombie curse by tossing your Jack-O-Lanterns in your tan refuse cart. Madison residents should place their pumpkins next to or on top of their leaf piles so they can be composted."

City of Madison residents should place their pumpkins at the curb along with their leaves for collection. Leaves should be placed in piles at the street edge for collection. Residents who must bag their leaves should place their pumpkins on the ground next to their bagged leaves.

In addition to collecting pumpkins, City of Madison crews will also collect other organic Halloween/Fall decorations such as cornstalks and straw as part of the leaf collection.

"Every fall we estimated that over 100 tons of pumpkins are discarded in Madison," Dreckmann said. "Putting your Jack-O-Lanterns out for leaf collection crews saves tax dollars and is great for the environment."

Residents can get complete information on fall leaf collection at http://www.cityofmadison.com/streets or by calling 267-2088.