We’re excited to bring back a Pumpkin Smash composting event the Saturday after Halloween, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lake View High School, 4015 N Ashland. The event is hosted in partnership with Illinois Extension, Chicago Public Schools, Scarce and the city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation.

Pumpkins must be free of candles, stickers, glitter, yarn, synthetic decorations. We can compost pumpkins decorated with water-based paints.

Illinois is a top producers of pumpkins in the U.S., but when jack o’ lanterns are past their primes, many end up in the trash. In Cook County, 37% of landfill material is food waste, a major source of greenhouse gas methane. In Chicago alone, over 500,000 tons of organic waste is sent to landfills annually. This year, green your Halloween and smash it, don’t trash it!