Arlington Heights Pumpkin Smash Pumpkin Recycling Event

About this event

The purpose of the event is to divert pumpkins from landfills by providing a location for residents to drop-off jack-o-lanterns, ornamental pumpkins and gourds to be composted.

Bring your jack-o-lanterns, pumpkins, gourds to our one day recycling event. All pumpkins collected are taken to a commercial composting facility and turned into rich nutrients for our soil. Remove candles, wax and decorations (yarn, googly eyes, etc.) before dropping off. Pumpkins painted with acrylic paint will be accepted. Oil based paints are not allowed.

Composting is nature’s way of recycling:

Composting avoids landfill greenhouse gas emissions from decomposing organics

Composting produces a useful, nutrient-dense soil amendment

Composting pumpkins reduces the amount of water in landfills.

Composing one ton of pumpkins:

Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by .75 tons of CO2;

Pumpkins are 90% water, Diverts 63 gallons of water from landfills.

Sponsored by First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights and University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners with generous support from Groot Industries.