What to do with those old pumpkins/jack-o’-lanterns? Smash em!
Since 2014, the DuPage County-based non-profit SCARCE has been working with Chicago-region municipalities to collect pumpkins to compost facilities so that they can be transformed into valuable compost instead of going into landfills.
All events listed below will be Saturday, Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. until noon, unless otherwise noted.
Select 2026 Pumpkin Smashes events:
Elgin
•Advocate Sherman Hospital, 1425 N. Randall Rd..
•Elgin High School, 1200 Maroon Dr..
Geneva
•Community Gardens at Prairie Green, west side of intersection between Bricher and Peck Roads.
St. Charles
•St. Charles Department of Public Works, 1405 S. 7th Avenue. 8 a.m. to noon.
South Elgin
•South Elgin Department of Public Works, 1000 Bowes Rd..
Warrenville
•Warrenville Park District, 3S260 Warren Ave; parking lot at rear. Hours: Fri., Nov. 6, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m..
West Chicago
•New Hope United Methodist Church, 643 E. Washington St.. Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m..
See the SCARCE website, https://www.scarce.org/pumpkins, for the map of all locations and to search by zip code.
—Kane County government