Why trash it when you can smash it? The City of Wheaton’s Environmental Improvement Commission will once again host a “Pumpkin Smash” drop-off for pumpkins right after Halloween, from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 5 in the City’s Commuter Parking Lot at Liberty and Carlton. This collection will allow you to drop off pumpkins (please remove decorations first) to be composted, rather than going to the landfill.
Wheaton has been hosting pumpkin collections for composting since 2014, helping divert more than 538 tons of pumpkins from landfills each year with other Illinois communities. Because pumpkins are 90 percent water, they are great for soil and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.