Integrated Solid Waste & Recycling

Contact: Mac Dukart
Phone: 307-733-7678
Email: mdukart@tetonwyo.org

Great Pumpkin Round-Up November 3

Turn your Halloween pumpkin into black gold!  Instead of throwing your Jack O’ Lantern in the trash, have it turned into compost at the Great Pumpkin Round-Up Saturday, November 3 from 10 am – 3 pm at the Teton County Rodeo Grounds.  Free drop off is near the blue recycling bins off Flat Creek Drive.

This event is sponsored by Teton County Integrated Solid Waste and Recycling (ISWR) and Terra Firma Organics.

“ISWR continually strives to develop programs to divert additional waste from the landfill,” said Heather Overholser, ISWR Division Chief.  “This will be our second year collecting Halloween pumpkins; last year we collected 4,120 pounds of pumpkins which were composted by Terra Firma Organics rather than thrown in a landfill.  Dane Buk, owner of Terra Firma Organics, the contractor that manages all organics at the trash transfer station, has once again graciously offered to provide equipment and crew, free of charge, for this year’s pumpkin composting event,” Overholser said. 

“ISWR’s trash transfer station operating permit from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality does not allow the composting of food waste, however has given us a permit to compost Halloween pumpkins again this year,”  said Overholser.  “We hope to collect and compost even more pumpkins than we did last year.” 

Each pumpkin dropped off at the Pumpkin Round-Up will be hauled in a huge load to the transfer station, where the pumpkins will be processed into compost.    The estimated compost time for the pumpkins is one year.  Terra Firma Organics sells its finished compost at the trash transfer station, as well as at local gardening retailers.

Staff from Terra Firma Organics and the Community Recycling Center will be on hand to answer questions and chat about composting in our community.  We will have kid friendly pumpkin squashing activities, treats and prizes.  Please be sure to remove all candles and other objects from inside your pumpkins before dropping them off at the collection site.

On average, 66,000 pounds of pumpkins are thrown out each year in Jackson Hole.  Organics that are disposed of in the landfill produce methane, which is a greenhouse gas that is about 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide.  Greenhouse gases act as a shield that traps heat in the earth’s atmosphere.

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