Why smash pumpkins? Because it’s fun. Why else smash pumpkins Because recycling pumpkins into smushed, nutrient-rich compost for soil and gardening prevents build-up in landfills creating more of a trick than a treat for the environment.

On Nov. 8, with the “St. Charles Pumpkin Smash” the town is inviting residents to participate in the national eco-friendly phenomenon. From 9 a.m. to noon bring your pumpkins to the city’s Public Works Department, 1405 S. Seventh Ave.

The town’s event is hosted each year by the St. Charles Natural Resources Commission.

The national initiative is run by School and Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education (SCARCE), an environmental education nonprofit based out of Addison.

The nonprofit hosts hands-on educational programs for schools and helps run recycling and environmental initiatives with local communities.

Since the first Pumpkin Smash in 2014, more than 9.31 tons of obliterated orange gourds have been turned into compost instead of clogging up landfills.

Eliminating pumpkin waste from landfills is crucial because, as they decompose, they produce methane, a powerful greenhouse gas emission. Landfills are currently the third largest producers of methane in the country, according to SCARCE’s website.

Because pumpkins are 90% water, as they decompose into water, they create a runoff problem in landfills.

In 2024, more than 150 Pumpkin Smash sites across the state and country participated in the event. More than 326,000 pounds of pumpkins were smashed.

SCARCE estimated this helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 118.46 tons of CO2e and prevented 33,419 gallons of water from landfills in just 2024 alone.

You can learn more about SCARCE’s environmental initiatives and find additional smash sites by visiting scarce.org/pumpkins/.