Where to recycle pumpkins in New Orleans
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Compost NOW provides bats and hammers to smash pumpkins at its event Saturday. Photo: Courtesy of Compost NOW
Metro New Orleans has two drop-off options for Halloween pumpkin composting and recycling.
Why it matters: This is an easy way to divert pumpkins from landfills.
Pumpkin smashing: The New Orleans Public Library has partnered with Compost NOW for its annual pumpkin-smashing event at the Rosa Keller branch on South Broad Avenue.
- Carved and uncarved pumpkins will be accepted from 11am to 1pm Saturday.
- You can use the provided baseball bats and hammers to smash the pumpkins.
- The pumpkins and their guts will be taken to Schmelly's Dirt Farm for composting.
Feed an animal: Laughing Buddha Nursery in Metairie collects pumpkins to feed the animals at Local Cooling Farms, staffer Hunter Rust tells Axios.
- Drop off unpainted, uncarved pumpkins in the shop's parking lot through January. The pumpkins are fed to the goats, pigs and chickens.
- North Shore residents can drop off pumpkins at the farm in Bogalusa.
Backyard compost: Remove the candles, wax and any decorations. Scoop out the seeds if you don't want baby pumpkins to grow.
- Smash the pumpkin or cut it into pieces. Put the pieces on the dirt and then cover them with leaves. Go deeper.