The Woodlands' Pumpkin Smash Kicks Off the Township's Composting Season

Your jack-o'-lantern has one more job in The Woodlands. The Township's Environmental Services Department holds its fifth annual Pumpkin Smash on Sunday, November 1, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Sterling Ridge Park and Ride, 8001 McBeth Way. It is free, and every pumpkin dropped off is composted. The Township also uses the event to introduce residents to composting at home. Six days later, Montgomery County Master Gardeners start a free composting class series at Town Hall.

Five years in, the drop has climbed from 30 feet to 80

The drop height has gone up twice since the event began. The Township's first announcement, published on Woodlands Online in October 2022, called it "the first ever" pumpkin smash. It ran on a Saturday evening, offered a catapult and a baseball bat, and had a 30-foot drop.

This year is the first time the event falls on a Sunday. It is also the earliest date in its five-year run. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so the Smash opens less than a day after trick-or-treating ends. You can take pumpkins straight from the porch to McBeth Way without a week of them sitting outside first.

The list of ways to smash has changed too. The 2026 announcement names three: swing a bat, break the pumpkin apart, or watch it hit the ground from 80 feet. The catapult from the 2022 lineup isn't on this year's list. Township staff will be on site to keep things safe. The announcements describe the drop height each year but not the equipment behind it, so you'll find out when you get there.

Get your pumpkins ready before Sunday

There is no limit on how many you bring, and size doesn't matter. Carved and whole pumpkins are both accepted. Pumpkins painted with acrylic paint are accepted too, which helps if your kids decorated instead of carving.

Whatever gets dropped is composted, so the Township asks you to remove anything that won't break down. Before you load the car:

1. Take out candles, including tea lights pressed into the bottom.
2. Peel off stickers.
3. Unwind any yarn.
4. Pick off googly eyes.
5. Remove any plastic, such as stems, clip-on faces and stands.
6. Put on closed-toe shoes, and pack safety goggles and gloves if you have them. The Township will also have protective equipment on site.

The stripping step matters because of where the pumpkins end up. In 2022 the Township said the remains would go to "a local composting facility" and come back as "nutrient-rich compost." The 2026 announcement says every pumpkin collected will be composted to divert organic waste from landfills and return nutrients to the soil. One forgotten tea light can end up in that compost.

The real goal is composting at home

The Township explains the reason behind the event with a number. More than a billion pounds of pumpkins are thrown out in the United States every year, according to this year's announcement. The 2022 version put it at 1.3 billion pounds sent to landfills. Either way, one Sunday afternoon can only take care of a few weeks of decorations. Composting at home handles a household's food scraps all year.

That's why composting experts have been part of the event from the start. In 2022 they were there to share tips on starting a backyard bin. This year they'll answer questions and hand out details on upcoming free composting classes. The first class is the next Saturday.

The Backyard Composting Class is a hands-on session taught by Montgomery County Master Gardeners. It covers turning dry leaves, yard trimmings and kitchen scraps into compost for gardens, potted plants and houseplants.

Town Hall is at 2801 Technology Forest Blvd. You don't need to register. Children 10 and up can attend with a parent or guardian, and compost bins will be for sale at the class. The Township's October 19 bulletin describes the upcoming classes as free.

If you'd rather skip a class, the Township also sells a bin at Town Hall. It's a C.E. Shepherd collapsible compost bin, about 3.5 by 3.5 by 4 feet, for $65, and it's listed on the Township's Yard Maintenance page. The schedule also lines up with the season. The class series runs November through February, the same months your pumpkins, oak leaves and holiday kitchen scraps pile up.

Can't make Sunday? Here's what to do with your pumpkins

The Pumpkin Smash is one afternoon, three hours long. If you miss it, the Township still has suggestions. Its pumpkin guide, Easy Peasy Pumpkin Squeezy, recommends cutting pumpkins into small pieces and mixing them into a compost pile. Another option is burying the pieces in a garden bed under soil and leaves. For animal feed, the guide suggests checking with local farms, zoos or wildlife sanctuaries and links to Pumpkins for Pigs. It doesn't name a specific nearby place that is taking pumpkins right now.

Waste Management, the Township's contracted hauler, picks up trash, recycling and yard trimmings once a week. The Township's yard trimmings list covers grass, leaves, prunings and branches but doesn't name pumpkins. Its trash-cart guidance does list "food scraps and waste." If fall cleanup adds bags of leaves at the curb, the yard trimmings rules are specific:

• Set yard waste out by 7 a.m. on your service day, at least 4 feet from your 96-gallon carts.
• Petroleum-based plastic bags aren't allowed for grass clippings, leaves or prunings.
• Use certified compostable bags that meet ASTM-6400 standards, or an open container such as a 32-gallon trash can. The Township says compostable plant-based bags and Kraft paper bags are sold at Kroger, H.E.B., Target, Ace Hardware and Walmart.
• Each bag, bundle or container can weigh no more than 40 pounds.
• Branches must be no more than 4 inches in diameter, cut to 4-foot lengths and tied in bundles no taller than 4 feet.
• Plain, non-glossy shredded paper can be mixed evenly with leaves in a compostable bag.

Pickup days depend on your address. The Township's collection schedule lookup shows your day when you enter your street address. Questions about the Smash itself go to the Environmental Services Department at [email protected].

Your post-Halloween plan, day by day

Here's the week laid out. Halloween is Saturday, October 31. The Pumpkin Smash runs Sunday, November 1, from 2 to 5 p.m. on McBeth Way, so pull out the candles and googly eyes the night before. The first Master Gardener composting class is Saturday, November 7, at 10 a.m. in Conference Room 150 at Town Hall, and that's also where you can buy the $65 bin. Anything that hasn't been smashed or composted by then can go to the curb in a paper bag by 7 a.m. on your service day.

At The Merlo Team, we've lived in The Woodlands for decades, and we're happy to help with whatever your fall projects involve. If you're planning yard or garden work and wondering how it might affect your home's value, start with our free Instant Home Valuation. We work in English and Spanish, and we're always glad to talk.