Halloween and fall decorations are fun—but every year, millions of pumpkins end up in the landfill, where they create methane gas, a powerful greenhouse pollutant. This year, you can do something better with your pumpkins, gourds, and squash.
From now through December 15, 2025, Washtenaw County residents can drop off pumpkins for free at local participating farms. Collected pumpkins will be composted, used to enrich soils, or fed to farm animals.
Drop-Off Locations (Open Dawn to Dusk unless otherwise noted):
- Goldfinch Farm – 9770 Macon Rd., Saline
- Jacob’s Fresh Farm – 475 North Fletcher Rd., Dexter
- Rustic Roots Farm – 7995 Scully Rd., Dexter
- Shining Light Farm & Homestead – 27170 Sherwood Rd., Belleville
- Tuthill Farms – 10505 Tuthill Rd., South Lyon (Mon–Sat, 7 AM–5 PM)
Important Guidelines:
- Pumpkins, gourds, and squash only
- No paint, glitter, wire, candles, or decorations
- No preservatives like bleach or petroleum jelly
- Residential use only
At-Home Options
Don’t want to drop off? You can also:
- Break pumpkins into pieces and leave them for wildlife
- Bury pumpkins in your yard to decompose
- Feed them to backyard livestock (cows, goats, sheep, chickens love pumpkin!)
- Compost them at home – learn more at washtenaw.org/compost
Signs will be posted at each site to direct you where to leave your pumpkins.
Together, we can keep thousands of pounds of pumpkins out of the landfill this fall—and return nutrients to the soil instead.