Rivanna Solid Waste Authority’s Great Pumpkin Smash runs through November 9

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - The Rivanna Solid Waste Authority’s ninth annual Great Pumpkin Smash is underway at the McIntire Recycling Center.

Residents can drop pumpkins into a large container. The event is self-service and free for City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County residents.

The pumpkins go to a composting facility instead of a landfill.

Westely Kern said last year’s turnout was strong.

“Last year, we had a wonderful turnout on that front, and we’re hoping to see a lot more pumpkins out there this year,” Kern said. “It’s a great opportunity to not discard them, not put them into a landfill, but instead to let us go through and compost them so that those nutrients can get returned back out to the environment.”

The Great Pumpkin Smash runs through Monday, November 9, at 611 McIntire Road from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Do you have a story idea? Send us your news tip here.