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Published on November 2nd, 2009

Halloween’s Over, Compost Your Pumpkin!

by Trey Granger

Halloween has come and gone, and you’re probably ready to get out the Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations. But what to do with the jack-o-lantern that has lit up your balcony for the last week?

One popular option is compost, as pumpkins are considered organic waste like any other fruit or vegetable.

Photo: Flickr/elana's pantry

Every year, a staggering one billion pounds of pumpkins are produced in the U.S. Photo: Flickr/elana's pantry

First, remove any candles or non-organic decorations, as well as any remaining seeds so you won’t start growing new pumpkins in the pile.

But what if you don’t have access to a compost bin in your backyard? In Bluemont, Va., the week after Halloween is Pumpkin Chunkin’ time at Great Country Farms.

Residents can bring in a pumpkin to be smashed or dropped from various heights, and you can even smash it yourself. This year’s Pumpkin Chunkin’ lasts from Nov. 1-8.

In Mundelein Park, Ill., the laws of physics participate in the composting process. The District held its second annual Pumpkin Drop on Sunday, where anyone can roll their pumpkins down a hill and let it break apart at the bottom. Any remaining pumpkin pieces are then smashed and turned to compost.

While you may not have access to a unique pumpkin disposal event, it’s likely you’ll be able to find a yard waste facility nearby that accepts them.

Trey Granger

Trey Granger

Trey Granger is a staff member at Earth911.com.

More articles by Trey


4 Comments

  1. Jen

    posted on November 2nd, 2009 at 10:46 am

    I’m a worm farmer, and yesterday I picked up a lot of neighborhood pumpkins for use as worm food. Wow, a billion pounds is insane. Check out the pic here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/EmeryvilleOakland/Mamas-Worm-Composting/120504747038?ref=nf

  2. beautifullyused.com » What to do with that Halloween Pumpkin?

    posted on November 4th, 2009 at 12:46 am

    [...] out some aggression by smashing it first. There are are actually a number of communities hosting smashing pumpkins events throughout this [...]

  3. Claudia

    posted on November 5th, 2009 at 11:55 am

    If you do compost your pumpkin dont be surprised if you end up with your own pumpkin plant growing out of your compost pile…that’s what happened to me, along with a bunch of tomato plants from all the tomato scraps :))

  4. Mel

    posted on November 15th, 2009 at 5:02 pm

    My mom smashes them on the compost pile and lets the birds and squirrels eat them.

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