Pumpkin Smash

Pumpkin Smash is a fun community event that keeps tons of pumpkins out of landfills and turns them into compost. Compost is loaded with recycled nutrients that can be used to build healthy soil, and diverting pumpkins from landfills helps prevent greenhouse gas emissions. Chicago Pumpkin Smash sites composted over 18 tons of pumpkins in 2022, and over 26 tons in 2023!  Let’s smash this record in 2024!

So, don’t trash ‘em! Smash ‘em and give them new life as COMPOST on Saturday, November 9, 2024 from 10am – 2pm.

Find a Chicago location near you:

  • Plant Chicago - 4459 S Marshfield Ave
  • Chicago Fire Station 70 - 6040 N Clark St
  • Morton School of Excellence - 431 N Troy St
  • Disney II Magnet School - 3815 N Kedvale Ave
  • Lake View High School - 4015 N Ashland Ave
  • Comer Crops Youth Farm - 7230 S South Chicago Ave
  • Carl Von Linné Elementary School - 3221 N Sacramento Ave
  • Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences - 3857 W 111th St

DSS is excited to bring Pumpkin Smash 2024 to Chicago in collaboration with the University of Illinois Extension and our eight community partners hosting events across the city. Flyers with detailed information are below.

Pumpkin Smash Flyer - English

Pumpkin Smash Flyer - Spanish

You may also visit www.scarce.org/pumpkins to find additional locations throughout Chicagoland. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Please remove all candles, decorations, and paint from your pumpkins before you arrive.

DSS will take them to a local composting facility where they will be composted.

When pumpkins and other organic materials decompose in a landfill, the potent greenhouse gas methane is produced. By keeping pumpkins out of the landfill, you are reducing greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Learn more about methane as a greenhouse gas from the US EPA.  

Compost is a valuable, earthy-smelling soil amendment loaded with recycled nutrients and teeming with beneficial microorganisms that can be used to build healthy soil. Learn more about the benefits of composting from the US EPA. 

By composting your pumpkins, you are helping meet Chicago’s Climate Action Plan and Waste Strategy goals.