Pumpkin Smash

The 2020 Pumpkin Smash is Saturday, November 7th! Site registration coming soon.

What is the Pumpkin Smash?

The Pumpkin Smash is an annual effort by communities to divert pumpkins from landfills by providing locations for residents to drop-off jack-o-lanterns to be composted. It is held each year the Saturday after Halloween.  Don’t Trash it, Smash it!

SCARCE and the cities of Wheaton and Elmhurst hosted the first pumpkin collections in 2014, diverting 9.31 tons of pumpkins from landfills and helping to improve composting laws in Illinois. By 2016 the Pumpkin Smash grew to over 31 sites across the state.

The Pumpkin Smash has diverted over 377 tons of pumpkins from landfills.

Why Keep Pumpkins Out of the Landfill?

Composting is nature’s way of recycling with many benefits:

  • Avoids landfill greenhouse gas emissions from decomposing organics (currently, landfills are the 3rd largest producers of methane in the U.S.!)
  • Produces a useful, nutrient-dense soil amendment
  • Pumpkins are 90% water which is great for our soil, not so good in our landfills

Find a location near you:

Most Pumpkin Smash locations will collect pumpkins from 9am-12pm on Saturday, Nov 7th unless otherwise specified in the listing details on the left.

This list is continually updated as locations are confirmed.

Map of locations coming soon!

Help Compost More Pumpkins - Get Involved

How to Host a Pumpkin Smash

Host a Pumpkin Smash in your town to help your neighbors green their Halloween. Download our guide below.

Check out our guide to hosting your own Pumpkin Smash and sample fliers. Please note: it is specific to hosting in Illinois but similar procedures can be followed in most places.
Download the Guide

 

Spread the Word!

Anyone can help spread the word that pumpkins should not go into the garbage. Below are flyers and tools that make it easy for you.

  • Print a flyer, and post it in your school, church, library, or any community bulletin board.
  • Print Trick-or-Treat fliers, and hand out fliers with your candy.
  • Share this page with your friends, business associates, and municipal leaders using email, facebook, or your favorite social media.

Flyers
Our fliers are fillable forms so you can simply type in your location details. We’ve also provided space at the bottom on the letter and poster size to add logos or acknowledgements.  To save fliers after adding your information, print to PDF. View a sample flier filled out.

2020 flyers coming soon!

Register your site today!

Register

 

View Full Calendar Online Registrations