Lehman College Smashes Pumpkins for Composting
Lehman College and the New York Botanical Garden hosted the annual Pumpkin Smash to divert post-Halloween pumpkins from the trash.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Organic Food
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Lehman College and the New York Botanical Garden held the annual Pumpkin Smash on November 4, where participants chose from a wide selection of pumpkins and gourds in the college quad and broke them apart for composting. The event aims to reduce post-Halloween waste from jack-o'-lanterns and decorative squashes.
Why it matters
Pumpkins are often thrown away before they begin to rot after Halloween, adding to landfill waste that the event seeks to cut. The compost produced is primarily used on Lehman's campus, tying the event to the college's long-running recycling program.
Lehman College's composting program handles about 30 tons of leaves and 12 tons of food scraps each year, and has operated since the 1990s. The total pumpkin volume collected at this year's Smash was not reported.
The players
Lehman College
Lehman College is a public college in the Bronx and part of the City University of New York system, known for its environmental sustainability initiatives.
New York Botanical Garden
The New York Botanical Garden is a major botanical institution in the Bronx that runs public horticulture and education programs.
The details
Participants picked pumpkins and gourds from a wide selection in the college quad, then broke them into pieces with shovels, a change this year due to construction. Botanical garden staff collected the remnants in a metal or plastic tub, and attendees could also bring their own pumpkins.
Timeline
1990s: Lehman College began composting.
November 4: Pumpkin Smash held in the Lehman College quad.
Season Trajectory
The Pumpkin Smash extends Lehman College's composting program, which has operated since the 1990s, into the post-Halloween pumpkin waste stream. It shows how an existing campus program can be applied to a seasonal waste problem.
Residents can bring their own pumpkins to composting events like the Pumpkin Smash instead of discarding them after Halloween. Keeping jack-o'-lanterns out of the trash directly reduces household waste.
The takeaway
Composting leftover pumpkins after Halloween is a simple way to keep organic waste out of landfills. Check whether your local college or botanical garden runs a similar drop-off or smash event.
Further reading
For more on sustainable eating, see Organic Food coverage across New York City.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Riverdale Press.
Live Poll
Would you compost your pumpkins or yard waste instead of throwing them away?
