It’s that time of year again where your once-festive jack-o’-lanterns are starting to look a bit deflated and rotten. Maybe even a bit gnawed-on by chipmunks.
ICYMI: Instead of simply throwing them away, think about taking your pumpkins and other decorative gourds to one of several composting events around Johnson County in coming days and weeks as an environmentally friendly way to dispose of them.
Johnson County pumpkin disposal events
Lenexa: From now until Wednesday, Nov. 30, residents can drop off their pumpkins and other decorative gourds in a marked dumpster at the Little Mill Creek North Park parking lot near 79th and Cottonwood streets.
Prairie Village: Residents can bring their rotting pumpkins to the Corinth Square shopping center at 83rd Street and Mission Avenue on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to dispose of them as part of a KC Can Compost collection event called “The Great Pumpkin Rescue.”
- There is a $5 free for the first two pumpkins and an additional $1 per pumpkin after that.
Shawnee: Stop by the Food Cycle KC Pumpkin Dropoff at Shawnee City Hall at 11110 Johnson Drive on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m to drop pumpkins, squash and other seasonal gourds off.
- It will cost participants $3 per vehicle.
Other ways to dispose of your pumpkins
While Overland Park is not hosting any specific pumpkin disposal events, city communications manager Meg Ralph recommended residents either dispose of them through backyard composting or by putting pumpkins in yard waste containers or bags.
- Pumpkins disposed of in landfills get smothered by other trash creating methane gas, which is a greenhouse emission that hurts the environment, according to nonprofit KC Can Compost.
- Capt. Brad Robbins, a spokesperson for the Leawood Police Department, also recommended leaving pumpkins out in the yard for wildlife to dispose of naturally.
