The Comox Strathcona Waste Management (CSWM) service is holding its seventh annual Pumpkin Smash, a fun family event which keeps thousands of kilograms of pumpkin – which aren’t being turned into pies or muffins -- out of our landfills.
The Pumpkin Smash will take place over two days in Campbell River and in the Comox Valley. The events are scheduled for Saturday, November 2nd and Sunday, November 3rd from noon to 5 p.m. In Campbell River it will be hosted in the parking lot of Strathcona Gardens recreation complex (225 South Dogwood Street) and in the Comox Valley it will take place at the compost education centre (4795 Headquarters Road, Courtenay). Residents are encouraged to bring their jack-o-lanterns and smash them into compost rather than simply throwing them away or leaving them on the side of the road.
The CSWM service also encourages residents to share a photo of their carved pumpkin before celebrating its last hurrah or snapping a photo from one of the local events. Simply upload your photo to the Comox Valley Regional District’s Facebook page.
“Over the years many families have come to these community events with some creative and unique carved pumpkins, some participants have even used a saw to cut up their giant-sized pumpkin,” said Koreen Gurak, CVRD’s manager of communications. “It’s exhilarating to be able to smash your pumpkin and have it turned into nutrient-rich compost rather than having it take up valuable space in our landfills.”
Participants are reminded to remove all objects such as candles and tea lights from their pumpkins prior to smashing. For more information on the pumpkin smash, visit www.cswm.ca/composting.
The Comox Strathcona Waste Management (CSWM) service is a function of the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) and is responsible for two regional waste management centres that serve the Comox Valley and Campbell River, as well as a range of transfer stations and smaller waste-handling and recycling facilities for the electoral areas of the CVRD and the Strathcona Regional District. The CSWM service manages over 100,000 tonnes of waste and recycled material and oversees a number of diversion and education programs.