“Each year, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere. He’s gotta pick this one. He’s got to. I don’t see how a pumpkin patch can be more sincere than this one. You can look around and there’s not a sign of hypocrisy. Nothing but sincerity as far as the eye can see.”

— Linus, “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”

It’s the Great Pumpkin Composting Event, Charlie Brown!

That’s right, Halloween is Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018, and that can only mean that Kane County’s third annual pumpkin (and squash) composting event takes place the following Saturday.

This year, that’s Saturday, Nov. 3. The event takes place 9 a.m. to noon at Pushing the Envelope Farm, 1700 Averill Road in Geneva.

Kane County, in conjunction with Pushing the Envelope Farm and Northern Illinois Food Bank, are offering this free pumpkin recycling event to help you reduce your seasonal holiday waste! See the event flyer here! (Or scroll down to see the PDF.)

Kane County Recycling Coordinator Jennifer Jarland, who also serves as the chairman of the board of the Illinois Food Scrap Coalition, says there’s no better way to dispose of your Halloween pumpkins and squash.

“Jack O’Lanterns, pumpkins and decorative squashes are highly compostable, and it is a real shame to just send them to a landfill, when the nutrients they contain could instead be returned to soil that will grow more healthy food!” she said.

The Great Pumpkin (And Squash) Composting Event

• When: 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018
• Where: Pushing the Envelope Farm, 1700 Averill Road in Geneva.
• What: Kane County will be accepting pumpkins and squashes for composting right on a farm! It is very important to keep it contaminant-free; just like food scrap composting. No candles, stickers, yarn hair, googly eyes or plastics of any kind. (In other words, only the squashes, pumpkins, and gourds themselves can be composted!)
• Cost: Free to residents of Kane County.
• More Info: See the event flyer here (or scroll down)!

Questions? Contact Kane County Recycling Coordinator Jennifer Jarland at 630-208-3841 or recycle@countyofkane.org.

SOURCE: Kane County Recycles news release

Pushing The Envelope Farm

Pushing the Envelope Farm is clearly the most sincere composting patch you could hope for — a community farm and education center that provides hands-on educational experiences and explores the Jewish connection to the land.

(CREDIT: Pushing the Envelop Farm website)

Since 2007, Pushing the Envelope has grown thousands of pounds of fresh, organic produce for those in need and have provided countless educational opportunities to schools and community groups.

The 14-acre site hosts organic farmers who tend a range of plots, from garden-size spaces to multiple acres of land. The gardens and farm animals give visitors a chance to experience life on the farm.

The organization is listed on the Kane County Recycles website under “Drop-offs for food scraps.”