Say A Green Goodbye To Spooky Season At Illinois’ Pumpkin Smash Events

How long are we leaving real pumpkins outside?

When spooky season (or fall in general) is behind us, you'll be ready to toss up your Christmas decor and call it a year. But there is a smart way to get rid of your real pumpkins.

Illinois is the leading producer of pumpkins in the U.S. It may be counterintuitive, but pumpkins do not easily decompose in landfills. They contribute to greenhouse gas emissions by releasing methane.

To help combat this, Illinois will hold Pumpkin Smash events in multiple counties.

The University of Illinois and SCARCE teamed up to make the events happen again, marking the 11th year that Pumpkin Smashes have happened in the state. This year, the Pumpkin Smashes will all be on November 8th.

The Pumpkin Smashes give residents somewhere to dump their pumpkins (after all paint, non-organic materials, etc. are removed). They compost the pumpkins, which is far healthier for the environment, instead of sending them off to the landfill.

SCARCE stats from the pumpkin smash events last year show that they composted over 164.7 tons of pumpkins, reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 118.46 tons of CO2e, and diverted 35,419.35 gallons of water from landfills.

Pumpkin Smash Calendar

SCARCE's Pumpkin Smash map has the full list of locations to find the closest one to you, with varying hours. Here are a few locations:

• Dixon: Sauk Valley Community College (Nov. 8, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)
• Macomb: Veterans Parks (Nov. 8, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)
• Normal: Rader Family Farms (Nov. 8, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.)
• Normal: Office of Sustainability at Illinois State University (throughout the month of November, between hours of 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.)

You can also host your own pumpkin smash event via the fliers and guide on SCARCE's website.