San Luis Obispo City officials are encouraging community members to not trash their Halloween pumpkins after the holiday; instead, residents are urged to smash them at the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce's upcoming Pumpkin Smash event.
On Nov. 1, locals can head to Emerson Park from 1 to 6 p.m. with their unwanted Halloween pumpkins and toss them into a green waste bin.
Organizers say participants will learn how these pumpkins will be turned into valuable compost.
The event will also have demonstrations, food trucks, and lawn games, according to officials.
"The smashings of your jack o'lantern [are] taken to our local anaerobic digester, where it is turned into organic compost and into natural gas to be used as electricity to power 600 homes a year," Meg Buckingham, the San Luis Obispo Solid Waste & Recycling Manager, told KSBY.
Officials say the event is completely free, and that candles, decorations, and paint should be removed from the pumpkins before tossing them.
