You’ve heard of the Monster Mash, but have you heard of the Pumpkin Smash?
Now that the Oct. 31 festivities are over, it’s time to consider how to dispose of your gourds.
The lifespan of your pumpkin-turned-Jack-o-Lantern may be short, but their impact on the environment or the landfill can outlast their festive fun. On Nov. 1 — the day after Halloween — the Sunshine Coast Regional District’s new waste disposal regulations come into effect, banning food waste, compostable food-soiled paper and recyclable paper from the garbage. The move is to save room in the Sechelt landfill, which could be full within three years, a recent estimate says (scary!).
On the Sunshine Coast, there are several options to choose from for the fate of your pumpkin.
Pumpkin smash (drop and roll over)
For the second year in a row, Rental Equip is hosting its Pumpkin Smash Fundraiser. Between noon and 3 p.m on Nov. 5, at their Sechelt location at 5824 Sechelt Inlet Road, the public is invited to drop off their pumpkins to be smashed, dropped from the Genie boom lift 70 feet up, or run over by their cement mixer.
“We throw them out of the basket into the bin that Creekers’ Containers supplies and then they just explode into millions of pieces. If they’d rather see them get run over by the cement roller, we line 10 or 15 of them up and roll them over with a big rolling compactor,” Tyler Nestman, the Gibsons manager for Rental Equip, said.
For each pumpkin, a dollar is donated to support local families this Christmas. The event is supported by several local businesses involved in the disposal industry: Salish Soils, Creekers’ Containers, AJM Disposal Services Ltd. and more.
So far, the event has been a smash hit. Nestman said last year brought in more than 300 pumpkins. Some Coasters had gathered their neighbourhood’s pumpkins, bringing around 30 for the event. Even though the 2021 event saw a downpour of rain, that didn’t stop the donations from coming in. With around $800 raised, Rental Equip was able to purchase Christmas presents for two local families. The company contacted the Ministry of Child Services to see who was in need of some extra help.
Leftover pumpkins are then donated to local farms or dropped off at Salish Soils to become compost.
This year, Nestman says he would love to raise more than $1,000 for the cause.
Stop, drop and fundraise
The mother and son fundraising duo, Cody and Megan Kelso, are organizing yet another event to support climate action and local environmental efforts. This time, they will raise funds for green initiatives at the Roberts Creek Volunteer Fire Department.
On Nov. 5, they’ll drop pumpkins from two storeys high (atop the fire hall’s new training facility) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’ll be Deputy Fire Chief Sean Hatanaka actually dropping the gourds. Megan says they’ve already collected at least 40 pumpkins for the event, mostly from the Trail Bay Centre’s Halloween display.
The green initiatives the funds will go toward have yet to be decided on, Megan told Coast Reporter on Nov. 1, but they will meet with the Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association, who have been conducting an energy audit of SCRD facilities. There’s been interest from the fire department, she says, to get the training facility off-grid.
Baked goods, including vegan and gluten free options, and hot drinks will be available by donation. Afterwards, the pumpkins will be composted at Salish Soils.
Make a treat
At home, you can also use it as compost. If it’s still good (no mold) you can eat it — but make sure wildlife can’t get a hold of it.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) published a reminder last year to not discard your pumpkins in the wild. In 2021, Mhairi McFarlane, NCC’s director of science and stewardship, said, “Causing animals to congregate around an unnatural food source can put them at greater risk of transmitting disease and, if the site is close to a road, can increase their risk of being killed by vehicles. While pumpkins may be tasty and attract animals such as deer, moose, raccoons and squirrels, they do not require additional food.”
Instead, NCC recommends the donation route. Check with local farms to see if they can put it to use.
