Communities across Michigan are organizing events to recycle jack-o’-lanterns and pumpkins after Halloween. These efforts aim to turn pumpkin waste into compost. In 2024, the Eaton County Parks and Recreation Department held its first ‘Pumpkin Chuck’ at Fitzgerald Park in Grand Ledge. Participants launched pumpkins, and the remains were collected for composting. Due to high participation, organizers worked with a local company to manage the collected pumpkins.
Traverse City will hold its second annual Pumpkin Smashing Extravaganza on November 8, 2025. The event will include pumpkin carving and storytelling. Last year, the city collected three tons of pumpkins for composting, exceeding its one-ton goal.
Michigan State University is hosting a Pumpkin Plop event from November 1 to November 15, 2025. The university invites the community to drop off pumpkins at a campus center for composting instead of landfill disposal…