One of my family's favorite post-Halloween traditions is taking our jack o' lanterns to the local Pumpkin Smash hosted by SCARCE to be safely recycled back into nature.
By bringing your pumpkin to be composted, it avoids landfill greenhouse gas emissions from decomposing organics (currently, landfills are the 3rd largest producers of methane in the U.S.!), and it produces a useful, nutrient-dense soil amendment, and pumpkins are 90% water, which is great for our soil!
Since 2014, SCARCE has helped compost over 1,240 tons of pumpkins!!
Some stats from 2025:
- 125 registered Pumpkin Smash sites (plus at least 50 additional unregistered sites!)
- Composted over 200.2 tons of pumpkins (that’s 400,393 lbs!)
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 144 tons of CO2e
- Diverted 43,010 gallons of water from landfills
Local Pumpkin Smash events:
Looking for a local spot to bring your pumpkins? Here are some nearby places that are hosting a Pumpkin Smash collection drive. Some locations have additional events, other recycling collection, or fun activities, so check with each location!
Pro tip: Make sure to remove any decorations or embellishments first!
You can find the complete list of Pumpkin Smash locations in Illinois by clicking HERE.
Looking for some more Pumpkin Smash fun?
