Kansas City's Pumpkins Get a Second Life With The Great Pumpkin Rescue

Don't send your Halloween pumpkin to the landfill! Find free drop-off events at Boulevard Brewing Company and the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium, plus expanded pumpkin collection in Prairie Village, KS.

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As Halloween approaches, KC Can Compost is launching The Great Pumpkin Rescue, a regional initiative to help Kansas City-area residents keep their pumpkins out of landfills and turn them into compost after the holiday.

Have a pumpkin to compost? KC Can Compost and its community partners are making it easier than ever to keep pumpkins out of landfills. From free drop-off events at Boulevard Brewing Company and the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium to expanded collection in Prairie Village, Kansas City-area residents have several convenient ways to turn their pumpkins into compost.

Free Pumpkin Drop-Off Events in Kansas City, Missouri

• Boulevard Brewing Company | Sunday, November 1 | 11 am – 3 pm
  Bring your pumpkins to Boulevard Brewing Company to drop them off to be composted by KC Can, enjoy a beer, and catch the Chiefs game! Boulevard will also donate a portion of beer sales during the event to support KC Can Compost.
  
  
• Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium | Saturday, November 7 | 10 am – 2 pm
  Planning a trip to the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium? Bring your pumpkin along! Drop off your carved or uncarved, unpainted pumpkin and help keep it out of the landfill.

Extended Pumpkin Collection in Prairie Village, Kansas

Having celebrated its one-year anniversary in July 2026, Prairie Village's community composting program in partnership with KC Can Compost has reached a major milestone—growing to nearly 800 registered users, representing almost 10% of the city's households actively diverting food scraps from landfills.

Building on this success, the City of Prairie Village is expanding its collection efforts to include pumpkins from November 2 through November 16. Registered users of Prairie Village's community composting program can drop off their pumpkins at any of the city's five existing Smart Can locations, each equipped with a locked, designated 64-gallon KC Can for pumpkin collection. Access codes will be available through the Smart Can app.

This expanded collection gives participating residents another easy way to keep their Halloween pumpkins out of landfills and turn them into a valuable resource for healthier soil.

Help make room for more pumpkins! Safely break pumpkins into smaller pieces before drop-off. Use a brown paper bag or BPI-certified compostable liner to keep pieces contained and make transport easier. A little pumpkin prep at home can help make room for more composting!

Why Composting Pumpkins Matters

Pumpkins are rich in water and organic material that can be returned to the soil through composting. When sent to landfills, food scraps and other organic materials can generate methane as they decompose, rather than being put to productive use.

"A pumpkin doesn't stop being valuable when Halloween is over," said Kristan Chamberlain, Executive Director of KC Can Compost. "It is mostly water and nutrients. When we throw it in the landfill, we lose those resources and create methane. When we compost it, that same pumpkin becomes something our soil can use again."

Pumpkin Drop-Off Guidelines

For participating pumpkin collection locations, please follow these guidelines. Confirm location-specific acceptance rules before drop-off.

ACCEPTED: Carved or uncarved, unpainted pumpkins; natural gourds; and squash.

NOT ACCEPTED: Painted pumpkins, candle wax, synthetic decorations, glitter, or plastic bags.

More Ways to Compost Pumpkins Across the KC Metro

Residents who cannot attend a collection event have other options for keeping pumpkins out of the landfill:

• Compost at home: Break pumpkins and jack-o'-lanterns into smaller pieces to help them decompose more quickly in a backyard compost pile.
• Join the KC Can Compost community: Residents can sign up for an individual membership to access KC Can Compost's Smart Can drop-off network for year-round food scrap collection.
• Join a community pumpkin smash: Compost Collective KC hosts an annual Pumpkin Smashing Party at Urbavore Urban Farm. Visit compostcollectivekc.com for event updates and dates.

Building on 10 Million Pounds of Impact

The Great Pumpkin Rescue builds on KC Can Compost's broader work to keep organic material out of landfills. The nonprofit has diverted more than 10 million pounds of organic material to date, including through regional events such as the KC FIFA World Cup Fan Festival and Kansas City Irish Fest.

As the holiday season approaches, residents can help extend that impact by sharing information about pumpkin collection, signing up for individual Smart Can memberships, or making a tax-deductible contribution to support KC Can Compost's environmental education and green workforce development programs. Giving Tuesday is December 1, 2026.

About KC Can Compost

KC Can Compost is a Kansas City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise that keeps organic waste out of landfills while creating pathways to green jobs. Since 2019, KC Can has grown to serve more than 1,800 customers across two states and multiple municipalities, diverting more than 10 million pounds of organic material from landfills. Through its composting network, Smart Can technology, public education, and Green Core workforce training program, KC Can is helping build a more circular, resilient, and equitable economy. Learn more at kccancompost.com.

Media Contact: Danelle Porter, Director of Communications, KC Can Compost

Email: [email protected] | Phone: (816) 555-0199

Website: kccancompost.com

SOURCE KC Can Compost