Join in Pumpkin Smash events around the suburbs
The Pumpkin Smash is an annual effort by communities to divert pumpkins from landfills by providing locations for residents to drop-off jack-o'-lanterns to be composted. Bring your pumpkins and gourds for composting, but remove any candles, decorations, and other materials. Non-toxic paint is acceptable.
In 2024, there were 103 registered Pumpkin Smash sites (plus at least 50 additional unregistered sites. They composted over 164.7 tons of pumpkins (that’s 326,000 pounds). Pumpkins are 90% water, so composting them helps conserve water and nourishes the soil.
For up-to-date information on the Pumpkin Smash locations and times, go to scarce.org or your community’s website.
SATURDAY, NOV. 1
8 to 11 a.m.
• Mount Prospect: Public Works Department, 1700 W. Central Road; sponsored by Mount Prospect Public Works Department
8 a.m. to noon
• Carol Stream: Ross Ferraro Town Center, 960 N. Gary Ave.; sponsored by Village of Carol Stream
9 to 11 a.m.
• Bartlett: Metra Lots, 140 E. Bartlett Ave; sponsored by Village of Bartlett
• Wood Dale: Wood Dale Public Works, 720 N. Central Ave.; sponsored by City of Wood Dale
9 a.m. to noon
• Arlington Heights: Frontier Park, 1933 N. Kennicott Drive; sponsored by Arlington Heights Park District
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Wilmette: Village Hall, 1200 Wilmette Ave., sponsored by Village of Wilmette & Go Green Wilmette
9 a.m. to noon
• Gurnee: Gurnee Village Hall, 325 N. O'Plaine Road; sponsored by Village of Gurnee and SWALCO
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Arlington Heights: First Presbyterian Church parking lot, 303 N. Dunton; sponsored by First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights
10 a.m. to noon
• Oakbrook Terrace: Lake View Nature Center, 17W063 Hodges Road; sponsored by Oakbrook Terrace Park District
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, NOV. 1-2
• Round Lake: Metra Overflow Lot at corner of Goodnow and Avilon; sponsored by Village of Round Lake. Hours: Noon to 4 p.m.
SUNDAY, NOV. 2
• Skokie: Skokie Farmers' Market, 5127 Oakton St., Skokie; sponsored by Village of Skokie. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 5
• Winnetka: Winnetka Public Works, 1390 Willow Road; sponsored by Village of Winnetka. Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
FRIDAY, NOV. 7
• Highland Park: The Preserve of Highland Park, 1207 Park Ave.; sponsored by Park District of Highland Park. Hours: 4:30 to 6 p.m.
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, NOV. 7-8
• Vernon Hills: Hawthorn Mall, 122 Hawthorn Center; sponsored by Hawthorn Mall. Hours: noon to 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8
FRIDAY, NOV. 7
• Warrenville: Warrenville Park District truck, lower level parking lot, 3S260 Warren Ave.; sponsored by Warrenville Park District. Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
SATURDAY, NOV. 8
8 a.m. to noon
• Hinsdale: Community House of Hinsdale, 415 W. Eighth St.; sponsored by Hinsdale Rotary/The Community House of Hinsdale
9 to 11 a.m.
• Barrington: Barrington High School Upper Field of Dreams parking lot next to the Hart Road, lot 616 W. Main St.; sponsored by Village of Barrington
• Glen Ellyn: Village Green Community Gardens, 130 S. Lambert Road,; sponsored by Glen Ellyn Park District
9 a.m. to noon
• Addison: SCARCE, 800 S. Rohlwing Road, Unit D; sponsored by SCARCE
• Aurora: Aurora Campus, 1245 Corporate Blvd.; sponsored by Aldi Inc.
• Bensenville: Village Hall. 12 S. Center St.; sponsored by Village of Bensenville
• Darien: Hinsdale South High School stadium parking lot, 7401 Clarendon Hill Road; sponsored by Hinsdale South High School ECO Club
• Downers Grove: Downers Grove North High School, 4436 Main St.; sponsored by Downers Grove North High School
• Elgin: Elgin High School, 1200 Maroon Drive; sponsored by City of Elgin; Hawthorne Hill Nature Center, 28 Brookside Drive; sponsored by Hawthorne Hill Nature Center; and Advocate Sherman Hospital, 1425 N. Randall Road; sponsored by City of Elgin
• Elmhurst: Elmhurst Public Works facility, 985 S. Riverside Drive; sponsored by City of Elmhurst
• Evanston: Old Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.; sponsored by City of Evanston
• Geneva: Geneva Community Gardens at Prairie Green Preserve, 698 Peck Road; sponsored by Geneva's Natural Resources Committee and Park District
• Glen Ellyn: St. Mark's Hillside parking lot, 393 N. Main St.; sponsored by St. Mark's Episcopal Church
• Grayslake: Grayslake Public Library, 100 Library Lane; sponsored by Grayslake Central High School
• Grayslake: College of Lake County — Washington Street entrance, 19351 W. Washington St.; sponsored by College of Lake County
• Hampshire: Henpeck Park, 995 S. State St.; sponsored by Village of Hampshire
• Itasca: Itasca Public Works, 411 N. Prospect Ave.; sponsored by Village of Itasca
• Lincolnshire: North Park, 1025 Riverwoods Road, Lincolnshire; sponsored by Village of Lincolnshire and SWALCO
• Lisle: Lisle Village Hall parking lot, 925 Burlington Ave.; sponsored by Village of Lisle
• Lombard: Lombard Common Park, 433 E. St. Charles Road; sponsored by Lombard Junior Women's Club, Lombard Park District, Village of Lombard, Waste Management, Kiwanis Club of Lombard
• Naperville: Peterson Elementary, 4008 Chinaberry Lane, Naperville; sponsored by Peterson Elementary School Garden & SCARCE
• Park Ridge: Park Ridge Public Works Service Center, 404 Busse Hwy.; sponsored by City of Park Ridge
• Rolling Meadows: Rolling Meadows Community Center, 3705 Pheasant Drive; sponsored by Rolling Meadows Park District/Public Works
• St. Charles: St. Charles Public Works Facility, 1405 S. Seventh Ave.; sponsored by St. Charles Natural Resources Commission
• Villa Park: VFW Parking Lot, 39 E. St. Charles Road; sponsored by Go Green Villa Park
• Westmont: Westmont Public Library, 428 N. Cass Ave.; sponsored by Environmental Improvement Committee
• Wheaton: Commuter Lot # 9, Carlton Avenue & Liberty Drive; sponsored by City of Wheaton Environmental Improvement Commission
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• West Chicago: New Hope United Methodist Church, 643 E. Washington St.; sponsored by New Hope United Methodist Church
9:30 a.m. to noon
• South Barrington: South Barrington Conservancy, 1 Glacier Circle; sponsored by Village of South Barrington
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Hoffman Estates: Public Works Center, 2305 Pembroke Ave.; sponsored by Village of Hoffman Estates
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Des Plaines: Prairie Lakes Community Center, 515 E. Thacker St.; sponsored by City of Des Plaines and the Des Plaines Park District
• Oswego: Prairie Point Community Park, 4120 Plainfield Road; sponsored by Oswego Junior Women’s Club
10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Glencoe: Glencoe Community Garden’s south gate, off Harbor Street between the Metra tracks and the Green Bay Trail; sponsored by Glencoe Community Garden
Noon to 3 p.m.
• Northbrook: Northbrook Court, 1515 Lake-Cook Road; sponsored by Village of Northbrook
• Wauconda: Township Office, 505 W. Bonner Road; sponsored by Wauconda Township and SWALCO
Noon to 4 p.m.
• Bolingbrook: Hidden Oaks Nature Center, 419 Trout Farm Road; sponsored by Forest Preserve District of Will County
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, NOV. 8-9
• Woodridge/Naperville: Camp Greene Wood, 3155 71st St., Gate #2, Naperville; sponsored by Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana & Woodridge Rotary Club. Hours: 2 to 5 p.m.
SATURDAY, NOV. 15
• Libertyville: Alder Park Pool Parking Lot, 1500 N. Milwaukee Ave.; sponsored by Libertyville Sustain Commission and SWALCO. Hours: 9 a.m. To 4 p.m.
WEEKDAYS IN NOVEMBER
• Wauconda: Lakeshore Recycling Systems, 1350 N. Old Rand Road, Wauconda; sponsored by LRS Waste Service hours: 8 a.m. To 5 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, and 8 a.m. To 4 p.m. Fridays