Eastside Compost Hosts Pumpkin Chuckin' in Lansing

Families launched jack-o'-lanterns across Hunter Park in the second annual event, with the smashed pumpkins collected for composting.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Seasonal Events

Screen-print poster illustration of a single orange pumpkin arcing through a pale cream sky above a heap of pumpkin fragments and a dark compost mound. — Families launched carved jack-o'-lanterns across Hunter Park in Lansing on Sunday during Eastside Compost's second annual Pumpkin Chuckin', with the smashed pumpkins going to the compost pile. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Eastside Compost held its second annual Pumpkin Chuckin' event at Hunter Park in Lansing on Sunday, November 1, 2026. Families sent jack-o'-lanterns across the park, and the pumpkins were smashed upon landing.

Why it matters

The event is meant to reduce food waste in landfills by diverting pumpkins into a compost pile instead. It gives Lansing families a hands-on way to participate in local composting efforts.

The event is in its second year, with no attendance or pumpkin totals reported. Figures on how many pumpkins were diverted from landfills remain unpublished.

The players

Eastside Compost

Eastside Compost is the local composting organization that hosted the Pumpkin Chuckin' event and collects the smashed pumpkins for its compost pile.

The details

Families were encouraged to bring their jack-o'-lanterns to Hunter Park, where they were launched across the park and smashed on landing. Eastside Compost will use the smashed pumpkins for its compost pile, keeping them out of landfills.

Sunday, November 1, 2026: Second annual Pumpkin Chuckin' event held at Hunter Park

Seasonal Patterns

Community composting programs that divert organic waste from landfills have expanded alongside municipal waste-reduction efforts. This event applies that same diversion logic to the post-Halloween pumpkin surplus in Lansing.

Residents who want to take part can bring their own jack-o'-lanterns to future Pumpkin Chuckin' events at Hunter Park. The event is free to attend for families bringing pumpkins to launch.

The takeaway

Lansing residents can keep pumpkins out of the landfill by bringing them to a community composting event rather than tossing them in the trash. Small seasonal habits like this add up to meaningful waste reduction.