If your Halloween pumpkins are rotting on the porch, here are some zero-waste options and composting events to give them a second life and keep them out of the landfill.
Pumpkins make up a large part seasonal food waste between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Most of the 1.3-billion pounds of pumpkins produced in the U.S. end up in a landfill, according to the US Department of Energy. They are often bought, left to wilt carved or uncarved, and then discarded to release methane gas in the landfill.
Pumpkins should be free of decorations like glitter, paint, or other plastic, non-organic applications.
Pumpkin drop-off events include:
Kansas City area
- Thursday, November 8 from 3:30 – 5:30 PM. Location: City Gym, 7416 Wornall Rd., Kansas City, MO with Boys Grow. [Details Here]
- Saturday, November 9 from 12 – 4 PM. Location: Juniper Gardens Training Farm, 100 Richmond Ave., Kansas City, KS with Compost Collective KC [Details Here]
Kansas City, MO residents can also put pumpkins in their brown yard waste bags for scheduled leaf and brush collection days or to drop off at Missouri Organic Recycling locations. The locations with free Saturday drop-offs for residents include: 11660 N. Main St.,1815 N. Chouteau Trfy., and 10301 Raytown Rd.
Lee’s Summit, MO
The KC Dumpster Company is hosting the free, annual Pumpkin Takeback event now through Saturday, November 9 at KC Dumpster and Summit Transfer, 2011 SE Hamblen Rd., Lee’s Summit, MO. Open M-F 7:30 AM – 4 PM and Saturday from 7:30 AM – 3 PM.
Lenexa, KS
From November 1–30, Lenexa residents can drop off pumpkins and other decorative gourds in a marked dumpster in the Little Mill Creek North Park parking lot, at 79th and Cottonwood.
Olathe, KS
Residents can put their pumpkins in their yard waste carts or paper yard waste bags for composting pickup by the City of Olathe.
Overland Park, KS
The Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens will be accepting pumpkins between November 1 through 14 from 9 AM to 4:30 PM at 8909 W. 179th St., Overland Park, KS.
Pumpkins will also be collected at the Overland Park Farmers Market in downtown Overland Park on November 9, 16, 23 from 8 AM to 12 PM.
If you are looking for a composting service in other cities, you can contact your city directly to see if they will accept pumpkins as part of your yard waste service.
Other zero-waste ideas
Beyond drop-off events, you can compost pumpkins in your own backyard. Fall is a great time to start a compost pile to give a second life to all of those falling leaves.
For the more gently used pumpkins, you can still scrape out the insides to make roasted pumpkin seeds or enjoy the squash in a soup or stew if you purchased an edible variety.
You can also let them rot in your backyard for local wildlife to enjoy.
If more composting events pop up, this story will be updated.