URBANA, Ill. — Fall is the pumpkin’s time to shine, but what happens when it is time to say goodbye to the short-lived Jack-o-lanterns?
With Illinois consistently being the top producer of pumpkins across the country, there are a lot of pumpkins piling up and filling up landfills across the state. Won’t the pumpkin pile break down naturally? Not exactly.
Pumpkins are an organic waste that produces the potent greenhouse gas methane as they decompose without oxygen in landfills. These decaying pumpkins also leach water that filters through the trash piles and pollutes nearby waterways.
Instead, choose to smash and recycle Halloween pumpkins at a local University of Illinois Extension Pumpkin Smash community composting event in early November.
“What started in Cook County, has now taken off to offer pumpkin recycling events across the state,” says Kathryn Pereira, Illinois Extension local foods and small farms educator. “It’s become a smashing success and example of meeting Extension’s mission to extend knowledge, and support people, communities, and environment through action.”
Illinois Extension’s smash events are in collaboration with SCARCE, an Illinois environmental non-profit that started Pumpkin Smashes in 2014. Illinois Extension joined the effort and hosted its first Pumpkin Smash in 2019.
According to SCARCE, Illinois Pumpkin Smashes have composted more than 1,250 tons of pumpkins in the past ten years, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 926 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. These events have diverted over 269,000 gallons of water from landfills.
Extension-sponsored pumpkin smashes are planned at 12 locations in Cook County as well as Jackson, Kane, Lake, Lee, Macon, McDonough, and McLean counties on Nov. 1, 2, or 9. New this year is an event planned for Decatur in Macon County on Nov. 2. Visit the links below for the most up-to-date calendar of events into the fall season.
Pumpkin Smash Instructions
- Find a smash event site near you by checking out the calendar at go.illinois.edu/PumpkinSmash or SCARCE.org/Pumpkins.
- Collect pumpkins from the home, neighborhood, school, or workplace.
- Remove candles, ribbons, paint, and any other non-organic materials.
- Drop off pumpkins at a smash site on the date and time of the specific event. Each site may vary with the methods of smashing or depositing pumpkins available.
- The pumpkins are transported to a composting facility following the event.
Those who cannot attend a smash event may still be able to compost through their local trash provider, private service, or by starting a compost pile. Properly composted pumpkins do not produce methane and contribute to soil health. Learn how to get started composting at extension.illinois.edu/compost.
Going Beyond the Pumpkin
While smashing a pumpkin can be stress-relieving, the educational opportunities accompanying many of the events help Extension reach people of all ages and provide education on recycling, composting, and the environmental impacts our world faces today.
As the idea to host a pumpkin smash has grown, many events have added stations where Extension staff and volunteers have resources, fun educational activities, and a place for great conversation. It is important to enjoy the fall season and pumpkins while learning how to take care of our world.
Another benefit of the events is a place for pumpkins to go. Remember not to dump pumpkins on private property or nature preserves. It is littering, illegal, and can harm wildlife. Natural areas often become dumping spots for yard waste, pumpkins, straw, and other organic decorations in fall. Animals are often drawn in close to the dumped waste and traffic, where they may get hit by passing cars.
There is no cost to attend Extension pumpkin smash events. For questions or if you will need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, visit the local county event information and contacts at go.illinois.edu/PumpkinSmash.
SOURCES: Kathryn Pereira, local food systems and small farms educator, Illinois Extension; Emily Steele, media communications manager, Illinois Extension, in Have a smashing good time composting Halloween pumpkins
WRITER: Jenna Braasch, media communications coordinator, Illinois Extension
Photo Caption: Recycling pumpkins is for everyone, and together, we can reduce waste and emissions one pumpkin at a time. Photo by Celeste Shanahan, Illinois Extension. Event photos are available for media download with credits listed Illinois Extension.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.