BATAVIA, Ohio — Clermont County residents can drop off their spent jack-o’-lanterns and gourds at three county park locations throughout November so the pumpkins can be composted instead of hauled to a landfill, the Clermont County Park District said in a social media post.
The drop-off program, run in partnership with the Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District, accepts whole and decaying pumpkins, carved jack-o’-lanterns and gourds at Ten Mile Creek Nature Preserve in New Richmond, Kathryn-Stagge Marr Park in Goshen and Shor Park in Milford. Candles, paint, stickers and other decorations must be removed before drop-off.
The park district said the effort is aimed at keeping organic waste out of landfills. More than a billion pounds of pumpkins are thrown away nationwide every year, according to the district.
Residents who compost at home can also break down their own pumpkins by cleaning off any paint or wax residue and cutting the pumpkins into smaller pieces to speed decomposition in a backyard pile or bin, the district said.
The three drop-off sites are:
Ten Mile Creek Nature Preserve, 711 10 Mile Road, New Richmond
Kathryn-Stagge Marr Park, 6662 Goshen Road, Goshen
Shor Park, 4659 Tealtown Road, Milford
The Clermont County Park District, formed in 1970, now manages more than 1,000 acres across five community parks, four nature preserves and the Williamsburg to Batavia Bike Trail. More information on the composting program is available at acswd.org.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Clermont County Park District.