(Mayur Gadge / Pixabay)
With Halloween in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to get rid of all those rotting jack-o’-lanterns.
But don’t trash them, smash them.
A number of organizations are partnering on dozens of pumpkin smash events this weekend in Chicago and the suburbs. Instead of winding up in landfills, where they contribute to methane emissions, the pumpkins will be composted and turned into rich soil.
The environmental nonprofit SCARCE hosted the first pumpkin collections in 2014 in Wheaton and Elmhurst, diverting nearly 10 tons of pumpkins from landfills. The event has since grown to 95 sites, primarily in Illinois, with nearly 250 tons collected in 2023.
Here’s where to take your pumpkins Saturday. Make sure to remove candles, ribbons, paint and any other non-organic materials.
In Chicago, sites hosted by University of Illinois Extension and Recycle by City, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.:
— 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.
— Linné Elementary School, 3221 N. Sacramento 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.
Suburban sites, all open on Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon unless otherwise noted:
— Addison, SCARCE, 800 S. Rohlwing Road
— Burr Ridge, Walker Park Recreation Center, 7425 S. Wolf Road, 10 a.m. - noon
— Darien, Hinsdale South High School stadium parking lot, 7401 Clarendon Hill Road
— Downers Grove, Downers Grove North High School, 4436 Main St.
— Forest Park, picnic grove at Altenheim, 7824 Madison St.
— Geneva, Geneva Community Gardens at Prairie Green, Intersection of Peck Road and Bricher Road
— Grayslake, Grayslake Public Area Library, 100 Library Lane
— Hinsdale, Community House of Hinsdale, 415 W. 8th St.
— Libertyville, Adler Park pool parking lot, 1500 N. Milwaukee Ave., 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., free compost giveaway
— Lincolnshire, North Park, 1025 Riverwoods Road
— Lisle, Lisle Village Hall parking lot, 925 Burlington Ave.
— Lombard, Lombard Common, 433 E. St. Charles Road
— Naperville, Ron Ory Community Garden, 811 S. West St.
— Northbrook, 1515 Lake Cook Road, noon - 3 p.m.
— Palos Heights, Lake Katherine Nature Center, 7402 Lake Katherine Dr.
— Rolling Meadows, Rolling Meadows Public Works, 3900 Berdnick St.
— Roselle, park district maintenance barn, 430 Mensching Road
— St. Charles, St. Charles Natural Resources Commission, 1405 S. 7th Ave.
— Western Springs, St. John of the Cross parish parking lot, 5005 Wolf Road
— Wilmette, Centennial Recreation Complex, 2300 Old Glenview Road, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
— Wilmette, Village Hall, 1200 Wilmette Ave., 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
