Wondering what to do with your pumpkins now that Halloween is over? Don’t trash it, smash it!
The Pumpkin Smash is an annual effort by communities to divert pumpkins from landfills by providing locations for people to drop off jack-o-lanterns to be composted. The event is held every year the Saturday after Halloween.
The first Pumpkin Smash events were held in Wheaton and Elmhurst in 2014. Since then, the event has composted over 538 tons of pumpkins and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 410 tons of carbon dioxide, according to SCARCE.org.
There are now nearly 60 sites across Illinois to recycle your pumpkin. You can enter your zip code to find the location closest to you here.
