Now that October has come and gone, you might have a slightly soggy jack-o'-lantern sitting on your porch — and a yard full of leaves begging to be raked. Here’s how to get rid of all your autumnal yard accessories in a sustainable, easy way.
🎃 Gourd vibes only
The easiest way to let your pumpkins return to the Earth is through home composting. You can chop an old pumpkin into pieces and add it to your lawn, or toss an entire one into your garden. If you’re lucky, you may have volunteer pumpkins pop up next year.
If you don’t have a place to compost at home, here are a few local groups that can take those wack-o-lanterns off your hands:
Old unpainted pumpkins can also make a tasty treat for our animal friends. Scattering small pumpkin pieces or seeds in your yard can feed squirrels, birds, and deer.
If you don’t want to live out your Snow White fantasy with neighborhood wildlife, urban farm Byrd’s Birds accepts both whole and carved pumpkins to feed its chickens and roosters. You can also donate to Oinking Acres Farm Rescue & Sanctuary, where animal residents thrive off of leftover pumpkins from Newfields’ Harvest Nights — or start your composting journey with your own worm farm, courtesy of Castaway Compost.
🍁 Take it or leaf it
Fall is the biggest season for yard waste, but that doesn’t have to be the case. You can take simple steps to recycle leaves during the 2025 collection season, which runs from Monday, Nov. 10 through Friday, Dec. 5. Here’s what you should keep in mind.
Do:
- Collect leaves in large plastic trash bags. You can dispose of 40 bags per week.
- Place bags three to five feet away from your garbage bins on the street by 7 a.m. on your collection day. If you’re not sure when that is, you can look up your address.
Don’t:
- Place loose leaves (read: not bagged) in garbage bins.
- Use paper bags, which deteriorate in wet weather.
- Burn leaves — this is illegal in Marion County and incur fines up to $2,500.
- Rake leaves into the street, which can lead to flooding problems.
Outside of the leaf collection window, you still have plenty of options for disposing of leaves. These include:
- Placing bagged leaves in your trash bins for normal pickup.
- Composting your leaves or mowing them in place to provide nutrients for next year’s lawn or garden.
- Taking your leaves to Citizen’s Transfer Station where they will be sent to landfill, or to Southside Landfill or GreenCycle where they will be composted. Fees apply at all three of these locations.
