Instead of throwing away that old pumpkin after Halloween, people can recycle them for free at Geneva’s Pumpkin Smash Saturday, Nov. 4.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the Community Gardens at Prairie Green, located at Peck and Bricher roads. Pumpkin-themed food vendors will be on site, and patrons also will be able to recycle batteries, aerosol cans and paint cans for a fee.
All decorations, such as candles, yarn hair, stickers, googly eyes, and plastic ears, should be removed from the pumpkins before recycling. The Pumpkin Smash, which is sponsored by the City’s Natural Resources Committee and the Geneva Park District, is designed to reduce the number of pumpkins ending up in landfills.
“After this pumpkin recycling event, our Parks crew will till the smashed materials into the garden plots, which will provide many nutrients to the soil,” says Adam Dagley, manager of Peck Farm Park and of the Community Gardens program, which provides rental plots and gardening classes through the Geneva Park District.
The Community Gardens at Prairie Green is a cooperative partnership between the Geneva Park District, the City of Geneva and the Forest Preserve District of Kane County. The space features 131 plots.
Garden plots are open from dawn until dusk between April and October. Plots are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each plot is 20 feet by 30 feet.
Returning gardeners from the 2023 season can sign up for their same plot next year starting on Friday, Dec. 1. New gardeners who did not have a plot in 2023 may register beginning Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. More information is available on the Park District’s website.
People can learn more about the Natural Resources Committee by visiting the City’s website.