Pumpkins and jack-o’-o’-lanterns are everywhere this time of year. But once the Halloween and fall festivities are over, the real fear begins: Most of the Over a billion pounds of pumpkins grown in the US thrown in the trash, causing damage to the environment.
Experts say that decomposing pumpkins and other food waste in landfills turn into methanea greenhouse gas that is a major contributor to climate change.
Fortunately, there are easy ways to dispose of pumpkins and squash that are better for the environment while also helping people and animals.
Below are some local organizations, farmers markets and composting sites that accept pumpkins. If these options are too boring, some farms will let you chop and destroy your pumpkins into pieces.
This DC organization takes whole, undecorated, blemish-free pumpkins and brings them to other organizations that feed communities in need. The group also accepts lanterns for composting as long as they do not have candles, paint or decorations.
Be sure to cut compostable pumpkins into pieces before disposing of them any of these places.
The Pumpkins For Pigs Foundation is a nonprofit organization in Loudoun County, Virginia that helps people find farms, animal shelters and rescues in their area that can take pumpkins, gourds and other items for food or compost.
“Reducing food waste one pumpkin at a time isn’t just a slogan. We’re actively working in communities across North America to support a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030,” PFP says about with website.
As of 2017, the organization has grown from 10 participating farms in Virginia to 600 donation sites in the US and Canada.
Pumpkins For Pigs says it has helped keep 800 tons of food waste out of landfills.
In addition to environmental benefits, donated pumpkins provide food and enrichment for animals while reducing costs for participating farms and sanctuaries.
How to donate to Pumpkins For Pigs:
- Find one near you donation site on the PFP website
- Choose a day to donate — check to see if you need to call ahead
- Bring pumpkins and produce that are free of mold and decorations that would harm animals. Many farms allow you to drop off pumpkins at their gates or driveways.
Where to compost pumpkins in the DC area
District residents can bring their pumpkins and food scraps to farmers markets throughout the city for free.
Ward 1:
- Columbia Heights Farmers Market: 14th and Kenyon Streets NW; open all year round on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm
- Mt. Pleasant Farmers Market: 3200 Mt. Pleasant Street NW; open all year round on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm
Ward 2:
- DuPont Circle Farmers Market: 1500 20th Street NW; open all year on Sundays, 8:30am to 1:30pm
- George Washington University – Kogan Plaza: 2121 H St NW; accessible 24/7 with the MetroKey app
Ward 3
- University of the District of Columbia Farmers Market: 4340 Connecticut Avenue NW; open seasonally on Saturdays, 9am to 1pm
- Palisades Farmers Market: 48th Place NW & MacArthur Blvd NW; open all year round on Sundays from 9am to 1pm
- Cleveland Park Farmers Market: 3426 Connecticut Avenue NW; open seasonally on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm
Ward 4
- Uptown Farmers Market: 14th and Kennedy Streets NW; open seasonally on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm
Ward 5
- Monroe Street Market: 716 Monroe Street NE; open seasonally on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm
Ward 6
- Eastern Market: across from Rumsey Pool, 635 North Carolina Avenue SE; open all year round on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm)
- SW Farmers Market: 425 M Street SW; open all year round on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm
Ward 7
- First Baptist Church of Deanwood – Contact Center: 4408 Sheriff Road NE; open year round on Saturdays, 9am to 12:30pm
Ward 8
- Sycamore & Oak: 1110 Oak Drive SE; open all year on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
NBC10’s Lucy Bustamante offers some tips on how to put your old Halloween pumpkins to good use.
Compost Locations in Virginia:
Residents can drop off pumpkins and food scraps free of charge at the following markets:
- Old Town Farmers Market: Market Square, 301 King St.; Saturdays 08:00 – 12:00
- Del Ray Farmers Market: Corner of East Oxford and Mount Vernon Avenues; Saturdays 08:00 – 12:00
- Four Mile Run Farmers’ Market: 4109 Mount Vernon Avenue; Sundays 9-13; open from April 7 to December 8
- West End Farmers’ Market: 4800 Brenman Park Drive; Sundays 8.30 – 13.00; open from April 7 to December 31
- Old Town Farmers Market: 901 North Royal Street, Sundays 9am. – 1 pm
- South Towers Market: 4901 Seminare Street; Saturdays 08:00 – 13:00
Arlington County is conducting a pilot program to collect food scraps and food-soiled paper from bins outside select multifamily properties. Go here for more information.
Drop off pumpkins, lanterns, pumpkins, painted pumpkins and other decomposable edible decorations at the Fairfax City Composting Center at 10455 Armstrong Street. Be sure to remove any inorganic items that cannot be composted such as candles, foil, lights or plastic decorations.
The county accepts food waste at the I-95 Landfill Complex at 9850 Furnace Road in Lorton and the I-66 Transfer Station at 4618 West Ox Road in Fairfax.
Residents can also bring their food scraps to all county farmers markets. Go here for information at the hours and location of each market.
The county accepts pumpkins and other food scraps as part of a pilot program at the Loudoun County Landfill Recycling Center located at 21101 Evergreen Mills Road in Leesburg. Hours are Monday – Saturday 08:00 – 16:00
Prince George’s County’s composting program will include curbside pickup to help combat climate change and its disproportionate impact on communities of color. Prince George’s County Bureau Chief Tracee Wilkins reports.
Composting locations in Maryland:
- Bethesda Central Farm Market, 7600 Arlington Road, Bethesda, MD 20814
- Olney Farmers and Artists Market, 2801 Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832
- FreshFarm Downtown Silver Spring, 1 Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring, MD 20910
People who receive county trash and recycling services can also participate in the PGC Composts program. Residents must place their pumpkins at the curb by 6 a.m. Monday to pick them up. Pumpkins, dried corn, hay and straw are placed in lawn/leaf bags or the 32-gallon green cart provided by the county. Pumpkins should be free of inorganic materials such as candles, wax, artificial lighting and loose decorations.
Residents can also drop off pumpkins and other yard decorations at the public container area and recycling area on Brown Station Road at 3501 Brown Station Road. It is open Monday to Saturday from 7am to 6pm
Where to break the pumpkins
Great Local Pumpkin Chunkin’ Farms: 34355 Snickersville Turnpike, Bluemont, VA 20135; Saturday, November 2 and Sunday, November 3.
“Bring your leftover lantern to our drop stations and let it fly! The Silo Drop and Zip Wire Sploosh let you make the drop yourself, or bring your own pumpkin to the Pumpkin Drop Zone and add it upside down. Fireworks Display” while the pumpkins are dropped from a 40-foot elevator,” Great Country Farms says on its website.
Tickets are $14 for adults and $12 for children.
Cox Farms Pumpkin Madness: 15621 Braddock Rd, Centreville, VA 20120
Two days of pumpkin smashing on Saturday, November 2nd and Sunday, November 3rd. Tickets are $25 for anyone 2 and older.