Compost your pumpkin after Halloween!
Use the City’s compost options to dispose of your pumpkins and work towards a zero waste Boston.
Compost your pumpkins this Halloween season! Composting your food waste creates a rich, black soil that is great for any yard and or garden. By composting through the City's different services, you reduce your garbage and create soil that is distributed to Boston's community gardens. Attend a Feed the Monster compost event or take advantage of the City's existing services. Learn more about composting.
Zero waste means reducing, repairing, and reusing the materials in our lives. In 2017, Boston’s waste sector emitted an estimated 393 kilotons of carbon, mostly from waste incineration. Working towards a Zero Waste Boston is necessary to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and mitigate the effects of climate change. Give your pumpkins a second life with these zero-waste, composting opportunities.
Feed the Monster compost event
Although Halloween may look a little different this year, you can participate in the Mayor's pumpkin carving contest.
Then, you can join in some spooky composting events with Parks and Recreation and the Environment Department. Feed the Monster your pumpkins and know that your Halloween jack-o'-lanterns are going to serve as soil in a Boston community garden soon:
Leaf and yard waste collection
Compost your common yard waste materials with City pickup and drop-off services, including:
- leaves and grass clippings
- branches and brush, and
- pumpkins (must be placed in a brown yard waste bag or a recycling barrel).
Project Oscar
Project Oscar 24-hour access bins are located in five different locations. They can be used to compost personal food scraps by anyone who lives in Boston.
Compost at home
Buy subsidized compost bins or buckets through Boston Building Resources to compost in your home.
