Pumpkin Reclamation
Turning Halloween Pumpkins into Farm Feed—Not Landfill Waste
When Halloween ends, thousands of pumpkins are thrown away, adding heavy organic waste to landfills and releasing methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. In New Canaan, there’s a better solution.
Now in our 5th year, Planet New Canaan helps residents reclaim their pumpkins—keeping food waste out of the municipal waste stream and giving pumpkins a meaningful second life.
Why Pumpkin Reclamation Matters
Pumpkins are 90% water and break down quickly. When landfilled, they become unnecessary waste. Reclaiming pumpkins:
- Reduces methane emissions
- Decreases organic waste hauling
- Supports local farms
- Returns nutrients to the environment
Orange really is the new green.
How to Reclaim Your Pumpkins
Recycle at Home
If you have space and feel comfortable feeding wildlife, place pumpkins in wooded areas as a treat for birds, squirrels, chipmunks and deer.
Add to Food Scraps
Have a transfer station pass? Pumpkins may be added to food scrap bins – please chop them up first to save space in the bins.
Join Our Annual Pumpkin Collection
After Thanksgiving, we collect the whole, uncarved, unpainted pumpkins and deliver them to farms in Connecticut and Massachusetts where cows and pigs happily enjoy them as seasonal feed.
This year hundreds of residents dropped off pumpkins at Kiwanis Park.
Since launching our pilot program in 2020, participation has grown every year. In 2024 alone we reclaimed 15,000 pounds of pumpkins—turning waste into feed and keeping organics out of landfills.
Join Our Mailing List
Planet New Canaan
P.O. Box 12
New Canaan, CT 06840
Email: [email protected]