It’s been five days since Halloween and many of you type A people already have the decorations down and the pumpkins disposed of. Kudos to you! The rest of us are thinking about it, we promise.
We’ll pack up the spider and the fake grave stones til next year! But what to do with the pumpkins?
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that 1.2 billion pumpkins were produced in 2023; of these, about a billion end up in landfills. But pumpkins are very nutritious –full of vitamin A.
You might not want to eat that rotting Jack-o-lantern. But a pig sure does!
Alternatively, it can add nutrients to soil by being composted.
Now, that doesn’t go for pumpkins that are painted –nor for those covered in gems or stickers (hard on piggie tum tums). But if you’re old school, or had the full harvest gourd display –congratulations! It has a future, and the future is fertile.
Pumpkins for Pigs | Saturday, Nov. 9 | 9 a.m to 3 p.m.
Donate your pumpkin to the supply drive for local animal sanctuaries! The Friends of Harley will collect pumpkins for Pumpkins for Pigs, and deliver them to sanctuaries where they are shared with pigs, yes, but also cows, goats, sheep, horses and many other pumpkin-lovin’ animals.
Pumpkins should be unpainted, unstickered and have not had a melting candle in them. Gourds, squashes and fruits and veggies welcome –but no mold! More information on this effort from Friends of Harley here [Instagram].
You can also donate directly to farms and sanctuaries by searching the map at PumpkinsForPigs.org
ZeroWaste DC Pumpkin and Food Waste Drop-Off Sites
If your pumpkin is too far gone –moldy, even– that can be an advantage for composting! Bring it to one of the Zero Waste DC Composting sites. Again, pumpkins should be unpainted and unstickered. You can carry it there in a bag or container, but you’ll empty it once you get there.
Here’s a list of all the sites in DC, starting with Ward 6 –but maybe it is convenient for you to stop on your way somewhere else if you are on your way off the Hill. (Why would you do that? Sometimes soccer tournaments make you).
Ward 6
- Eastern Market (in front of Rumsey Pool, 635 North Carolina Avenue SE, open year-round on Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)
- SW Farmers Market (425 M Street SW, open year-round on Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)
Ward 1
- Columbia Heights Farmers Market (14th and Kenyon Streets NW, open year-round on Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)
- Mt. Pleasant Farmers Market (3200 Mt. Pleasant Street NW, open year-round on Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)
Ward 2
- DuPont Circle Farmers Market (1500 20th Street NW, open year-round on Sundays, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.)
- George Washington University – Kogan Plaza (2121 H St NW, accessible 24/7 with the MetroKey app, click here to the app.)
Ward 3
- University of District of Columbia Farmers Market (4340 Connecticut Avenue NW, open seasonally on Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)
- Palisades Farmers Market (48th Place NW & MacArthur Blvd NW, open year-round on Sundays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)
- Cleveland Park Farmers Market (3426 Connecticut Avenue NW, open seasonally on Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)
Ward 4
- Uptown Farmers Market (14th and Kennedy Streets NW, open seasonally on Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)
Ward 5
- Monroe Street Market (716 Monroe Street NE, open seasonally on Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)
Ward 7
- First Baptist Church of Deanwood – Outreach Center (4408 Sheriff Road NE, open year-round on Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)
Ward 8
- Sycamore & Oak (1110 Oak Drive SE, open year-round on Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.)
For more information about DPW’s Food Waste Drop-Off program, visit zerowaste.dc.gov/
