Austin Pumpkin Disposal Guide: Eco-Friendly Compost & Donation Options

Written By Amy Tran

Fall in Austin is full of seasonal highlights–pumpkin patches, Longhorn games, Oktoberfests from Banger’s to Meanwhile, and, of course, Halloween and Thanksgiving festivities. But as winter approaches, it’s time to bid farewell to fall, including transitioning your porch decor from harvest to holiday.

Luckily, Hill Country Haus makes it easy, with pumpkin removal and donation available as an add-on (or already included) for all packages. But if you prefer a DIY seasonal changeover, there are several ways to handle pumpkin disposal without tossing them into the trash–an unfortunate outcome for many Halloween pumpkins that results in the organic material accumulating and wasted in landfills.

Compost

Your remaining pumpkins are compostable. Take advantage of Austin’s Curbside Composting Program, and place your porch pumpkins in your green composting cart for curbside pickup on your collection day (you may need to spread this out over a few collection weeks depending on the size and number of pumpkins). 

At home, you can remove the seeds from the pumpkins (to prevent new pumpkin plants from sprouting), and cut the pumpkin into small pieces (or have fun stomping on them to break them down!) before adding to a compost pile.

If you have a garden, try trench composting: dig a trench in your garden about one foot deep and as wide as needed to accommodate your cut up pumpkins. Add in a layer of pumpkin pieces about 6 inches deep in the trench and then cover it up with soil. The pumpkins will break down over time and enrich the soil with nutrients.

Photo of a City of Austin green compost bin.

Donate

If you have the time and trunk space, you can also donate your pumpkins to a farm (add a tarp or cover your car floor to protect it from any potential mess). Pumpkins for Pigs maintains a list of farms that accept pumpkins (and other items) in the name of reducing food waste–visit their website for site-specific donation details. The Greater Austin-area farms on their list include: Best Clucking Place Farms (Hutto), Team G Ranch (Dripping Springs), Many Many Chickens (and Pigs) (Taylor), and Austin Farm Sanctuary (Paige). Contact the donation site directly first to confirm that they are still accepting donations.

When you’re done savoring the magic of the season with your beautiful porch display, we encourage you to consider giving your pumpkins a greener goodbye, via composting or donating, before resorting to tossing them into a dumpster.

Photo of a goat enjoying pumpkin scraps.