URBANA, Ill. — Whether picking out pumpkins from a field or carving fun faces for jack-o'-lanterns with friends, pumpkins naturally give off fall vibes. But what happens when they start to decay on the porch or countertop, and it’s time to say goodbye? Where do they go?
Many think that a thrown-away pumpkin will break down and disappear. Not exactly. The reality is, pumpkins are organic waste that fills landfills, releases greenhouse gas methane during decomposition, and leaches water through trash piles to nearby waterways.
Illinois is consistently the top producer of pumpkins in the U.S., so that adds up to piles of pumpkins filling landfills.
Instead, choose to smash and recycle pumpkins at a local University of Illinois Extension Pumpkin Smash community composting event in early November. The events will have a dumpster to recycle pumpkins with a smash.
“Seeing the growing number of tons of pumpkins diverted from landfills getting larger year-to-year rather than the number piling up in landfills, shows the importance and impact both locally and statewide of hosting these events in communities,” says Kathryn Pereira, Illinois Extension local foods and small farms educator.
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 10 years, reducing greenhouse gas by 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. These events have also diverted over 300,000 gallons of water from landfills.
“It’s benefiting communities, partnerships, and environmental efforts by responsibly composting pumpkins, while adding in education and fun along the way,” says Pereira.
Extension-sponsored pumpkin smashes are planned throughout Illinois with locations in Jackson, Kane, Lee, Macon, McDonough, McLean, and Jackson Counties, and more on Nov. 8. The Cook County sites will have Extension staff and volunteers in attendance with educational tables and activities at partner events. Additional event locations may be added following the calendar release.
Visit the links below for the most up-to-date calendar of events in the fall season. Event inclusions will vary depending on location plans, so start with the instructions below.
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 in the methods of smashing or depositing pumpkins available.
- Following the event, the pumpkins are transported to a composting facility.
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/composting.
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.
More Reason to Recycle Pumpkins
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 the world faces today. It is important to enjoy the fall season and pumpkins while learning how to take care of the world.
Another benefit of the events is to decrease the number of pumpkins dumped on private property or nature preserves. Doing so is considered littering, is illegal, and can harm wildlife. In the fall, natural areas often become dumping spots for yard waste, pumpkins, straw, and other organic decorations. Animals are often drawn in close to the dumped waste and traffic, where they may get hit by passing cars.
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: A pile of pumpkins safely smashed at an event and ready to be taken to a composting facility to help reduce waste and emissions one pumpkin at a time. Photo Credit: University of Illinois Extension. Additional 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.