Compost leftover pumpkins at Riverhead’s first-ever Pumpkin Smash event on Saturday, Nov. 7

We did the Monster Mash, now it’s time for the Pumpkin Smash. 

As the fun of Halloween fades, so does the magic of those now rotting jack o’lanterns on the front stoop. 

Instead of throwing those leftover pumpkins in the trash, bring them to Riverhead Town’s first-ever Pumpkin Smash composting event on Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Yard Waste Facility at 532 Youngs Ave. in Baiting Hollow, any time between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. 

Joe Rutt, a junior civil engineer for the town, said the event offers a unique and fun method of disposing of pumpkins in an environmentally-conscious way. Participants will be provided wooden mallets for smashing. They can also toss pumpkins in a cornhole-style game or watch them drop from a front-end loader onto the ground. 

“There isn’t anyone doing it on the East End, so I just thought this would be the best opportunity for Riverhead to kind of strike while the iron’s hot,” Mr. Rutt told the Riverhead News-Review in a phone interview on Monday. “It just seems like a really great fun opportunity for all the residents to not only compost the pumpkins and take them out of the waste stream, but also have a fun event for the kids to come — a little event after Halloween, but before Thanksgiving.” 

Mr. Rutt first got the idea from a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation webinar and he felt it aligned well with the town’s existing food-scrap recycling and composting initiative. 

Typically, like any other kitchen food scrap, pumpkins that are thrown out are mixed in with the general waste that is hauled off the island, meaning they cannot be recovered as compost. 

Citing statistics from the DEC, Mr. Rutt said nearly a billion pounds of pumpkins are discarded nationally into the waste stream annually. In Riverhead alone, he estimates between 100,000 to 140,000 pounds are thrown away. 

“It still will break down, but there’s no way to gather that compost back from the waste stream, so not only are we missing out on the compost, but also the weight of the solid waste is important because that’s how we calculate the prices and shipping,” Mr. Rutt said. “If we can reduce the weight of our solid waste, we reduce the cost to the town and the residents.” 

Not everyone discards their mushy pumpkins and decaying jack o’lanterns in the garbage can, Mr. Rutt noted. Some throw them in their backyards for compost. Deer roaming the area and other wildlife will eat the pumpkin remnants as well. The Pumpkin Smash just adds some amusement while composting, he said. 

There are no limits to the amount of pumpkins a person can bring, and there will be a drop-off table for those who may not have the time for smashing. However, those who do want to partake in the festivities should wear closed-toe shoes. Safety vests and eye protection will be provided. 

Residents are encouraged to bring organic pumpkins without candles, wax, plastic, or paint to ensure high-quality compost.

As interest for the event grow, Mr. Rutt said he would like to add more contraptions for pumpkin smashing, such as a crusher-style “guillotine” and possibly a catapult. 

This composting initiative joins a host of other environmental programs managed by Riverhead Town, including the Half Shells for Habitat oyster shell recovery with Seatuck, food scrap collection, e-waste recycling and yard waste composting at the Youngs Avenue site for residents. 

Riverhead also recently launched a textile recycling program through Clothes Bin, which accepts unwanted clothing, shoes, and purses, as long as they are not wet or moldy. Most importantly, it keeps these items out of landfills. Mr. Rutt said roughly 85% of textiles that can be recycled are thrown out, according to the DEC. 

These bins are open Thursdays through Mondays, from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Youngs Avenue facility. In the future, Mr. Rutt said there is a book drop off program in the works.