How to dispose of Halloween pumpkins in easy, eco-friendly ways
Clara Robinson is an educator-turned-journalist, having spent 5 years teaching in Naperville’s public schools before transitioning to reporting. She earned her Master’s in Education from Loyola University Chicago and now focuses on the intersection of education policy and community impact.
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We are in peak pumpkin season, whether they are carved for jack-o’-lanterns or part of outdoor home displays.But what happens when those porch pumpkins start to decay? What is the best way to discard them?“Many do not realize that a thrown-away pumpkin does not break down and disappear on its own without leaving a trace,” Kathryn Pereira, University of Illinois Extension, local foods and small farms educator, said in a news release from the Extension.Pumpkins are organic waste that, when included in the trash, fill landfills, release the greenhouse gas methane as they decompose and leach water into nearby waterways. Residents can help reduce harmful environmental impacts by smashing and recycling pumpkins at a local Illinois Extension Pumpkin Smash community composting event in early November, the Extension said.The events will have a dumpster for recycling pumpkins, with a little added smash-and-fun. Illinois Extension’s smash events are in collaboration with SCARCE, an Illinois envir