One of my family's favorite post-Halloween traditions is taking our pumpkins and jack o' lanterns to the local Pumpkin Smash hosted by SCARCE to be safely recycled back into nature.
By bringing your pumpkin to be composted, it avoids landfill greenhouse gas emissions from decomposing organics (currently, landfills are the 3rd largest producers of methane in the U.S.!), and it produces a useful, nutrient-dense soil amendment, and pumpkins are 90% water, which is great for our soil!
Since 2014, SCARCE has helped compost over 1,240 tons of pumpkins!!
Some stats from 2024:
- 103 registered Pumpkin Smash sites (plus at least 50 additional unregistered sites!)
- Composted over 164.7 tons of pumpkins (that’s 326,000 lbs!)
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 118.46 tons of CO2e
- Diverted 35,419.35 gallons of water from landfills
Local Pumpkin Smash & Pumpkin Recycling Events:
Looking for a local spot to bring your pumpkins? Here are some nearby places that are hosting a Pumpkin Smash or pumpkin collection drive. Some locations have additional events, other recycling collection, or fun activities, so check with each location!
Pro tip: Make sure to remove any decorations or embellishments first!
You can find the complete list of Pumpkin smash and compost pickup locations in Illinois by clicking HERE.
Looking for some more Pumpkin Smash fun?
