Do the pumpkin smash: Boston wants you to compost your gourds in community

Not sure what to do with that rotting jack-o-lantern now that Halloween is over? Try smashing it.

The city of Boston, in partnership with Boston-based climate action group Mothers Out Front and other local organizations, is holding its third annual pumpkin composting event. The messy fun is an effort to keep pumpkins from ending up in landfills, where they would release greenhouse gases.

Organizers hope that between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, participants in "The Great Pumpkin Smash" will compost 2,500 pounds of pumpkins.

The activities at English High School in Jamaica Plain start with weighing the pumpkins. Then residents can participate in different games or smashing activities to bust their gourds.

"It's especially a hit with some of the younger children who scoop up the remains of their pumpkin, which feels yucky and gory and wonderful," said Mothers Out Front member Mary Brady. "And then they trot them over to the big compost truck and watch them be put into the bucket and hauled up to the top and dumped in."

If you don't have a pumpkin of your own, Allandale Farm in Brookline and other community partners donated their leftover gourds.

Along with the fun, Brady said the goal of the smash is to educate the community about sustainability, including how to compost at home.

"It helps just all of us become more aware of the little pieces that we can do to protect Mother Earth, to fight and resist against further climate change," said Brady. "We can't stop it, it's here. But to resist against it, to help people feel that we really do have some power."

If you can't make it to the event, Brady said there are other ways to sustainably get rid of your pumpkin.

Boston offers a free curbside pick-up program for many residents, and will accept as many pumpkins fit within the bright green compost bin — plus one additional pumpkin placed on top — as part of the weekly collection. Or, residents could use the city's compost drop-off program called Project Oscar. Just make sure to remove any candles; painted pumpkins or gourds with glitter cannot be composted.

Brady also suggests checking with your local community garden or neighbors who may compost on their properties. Those outside of Boston can check with their municipality to see if they offer composting.