Bronx Pumpkin Smash gives jack-o’-lanterns a second life through composting

In the quad at Lehman College, participants of all ages picked from a wide selection of pumpkins and gourds Nov. 4 before hacking them into pieces to be used for composting.

The annual Pumpkin Smash is a collaboration between Lehman College and the New York Botanical Garden that aims to reduce waste post-Halloween, when jack-o’-lanterns or decorative squashes are trashed before they start to rot. Attendees hashed and slashed to the sound of rap and early-2000s pop-punk, the remnants confined to a metal or plastic tub easily collected afterward by botanical garden staff members.

Composting is when organic materials are naturally broken down by bacteria, fungi and invertebrates to create a mixture that helps provide nutrients to plants, according to Lehman’s site.

In years past, the pumpkins were hurled off the quad’s elevated platform, but due to construction, attendees had to opt for shovels, according to Lehman communications specialist Lisa Hirschfield.

“It’s a very hands-on type of pumpkin smash this year,” Hirschfield said.

The pumpkins ranged from big to small, bumpy to smooth, striped to solid, and featured colors across the autumn palette. The selection was provided by the botanical garden, though attendees were encouraged to bring their own pumpkins from home.

Frances Condon, program manager with Bronx Green-Up — the botanical garden’s community gardening outreach program — said when pumpkins are sent to landfills, the lack of oxygen in the decomposition process causes them to produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

“Compost is community,” Condon said. “Together, we can make an impact on our local environments and our world.”

The compost from the Pumpkin Smash is primarily used on Lehman’s campus, Condon said. According to Ilona Linins, the college’s director of environmental health and safety as well as its sustainability council chair, Lehman has a very mature composting program.

The college has been composting since the 1990s, Linins said, adding that Lehman handles about 30 tons of leaves and 12 tons of food scraps annually.

The nonprofit New York Restoration Project, which runs dozens of community gardens across the city, was also at the Pumpkin Smash. Public programming manager Michael Horwitz said aside from showcasing pumpkins that are beautiful and unique, the event also provides practical education on composting to attendees.