Kane County Reporter

The City of Elgin will hold its annual Pumpkin Smash composting event on Saturday, November 8, from 9 a.m. to noon. Residents can bring pumpkins to one of three designated sites for composting instead of disposing of them in the trash.

Collection locations include Advocate Sherman Hospital at 1425 N. Randall Road, Elgin High School at 1200 Maroon Drive, and Hawthorne Hill Nature Center at 28 Brookside Drive.

At the event, participants may drop off their pumpkins or choose to smash them on site. All collected materials will be handled by Lakeshore Recycling Services (LRS) and sent to Midwest Compost for processing. Composting pumpkins helps conserve water, improve soil quality, and reduce methane emissions that occur when organic waste decomposes in landfills.

“Each year, this event gives people an opportunity to have a little fun while making a big environmental impact,” said Jessica VanDyke, the city’s sustainability coordinator. “Since 2016, the community has helped divert more than 38 tons of pumpkins from the landfill through this program.”

The Pumpkin Smash is organized in collaboration with SCARCE, LRS, University of Illinois Extension, and the host sites. More information about the event can be found at elginil.gov/pumpkinsmash.