Rader Farms Hosts Pumpkin Smash to Divert Waste

The fourth annual McLean County Pumpkin Smash encourages residents to compost pumpkins instead of sending them to the trash.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Organic Food

Gouache-painted editorial illustration of a split orange pumpkin resting on dark compost soil with a curl of green vine against open prairie. — Residents in McLean County smashed and dropped off pumpkins at Rader Family Farms in Normal on Sunday to keep them out of landfills and out of methane-producing decay. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Would you compost your leftover pumpkins rather than throw them in the trash?

University of Illinois Extension hosted the fourth annual McLean County Pumpkin Smash at Rader Family Farms in Normal on Sunday, November 1, 2026. The event encouraged residents to smash or drop off pumpkins instead of throwing them in the trash.

Why it matters

Pumpkins that decompose in landfills without oxygen release methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Composting the collected pumpkins with animal manure and yard waste offers a way to keep them out of landfills.

Last year's event collected approximately eight to nine tons of pumpkins. Organizers ask that pumpkins be free of candles, stickers, glitter, metal, and other non-compostable materials before drop-off.

The players

University of Illinois Extension

The public outreach arm of the University of Illinois that hosts community education programs, including the McLean County Pumpkin Smash.

Illinois State University

A public university in Normal, Illinois, whose farm in Lexington will receive the collected pumpkins for composting.

The details

Families took part in a pumpkin life cycle obstacle course and a bracelet-making activity about composting. Collected pumpkins will be transported to Illinois State University's farm in Lexington, where they will be mixed with animal manure and yard waste to create compost.

Sunday, November 1, 2026: Pumpkin Smash held at Rader Family Farms in Normal.
Monday, Nov. 2 through Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026: Free pumpkin drop-off available at the south end of the Rader Family Farms parking lot.

Seasonal Patterns

Fall pumpkin disposal creates a predictable seasonal surge of organic waste after Halloween, and composting programs like the one at Illinois State University's Lexington farm offer a documented alternative to landfill disposal. Local drop-off events channel that seasonal waste into composting rather than methane-producing landfills.

Residents can drop off pumpkins free of charge at the south end of the Rader Family Farms parking lot from Monday, Nov. 2 through Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. Pumpkins must be free of candles, stickers, glitter, and metal to be accepted for composting.

The takeaway

Residents can keep pumpkins out of the trash by dropping them off at Rader Family Farms during the free collection window, as long as they are stripped of non-compostable decorations first. Composting turns a seasonal waste stream into usable material instead of landfill methane.