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Illinois Extension Hosts Community Composting Events

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,” said 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.