Have your jack-o-lanterns lost their fright? Have their snaggletoothed faces gone a little schlumpy? What do you do now with your moldering gourds, putrefying pumpkins, and your squishy squash squad?

Plop them on your leaf pile, of course!

Streets Division crews will collect pumpkins along with other yard waste when crews pick up leaves in your neighborhood. This includes other compostable decorations like corn stalks and hay.

When placing your pumpkins, corn stalks, hay, or other natural compostable decorations out for yard waste collection, please set them on top of your leaf pile or leaf bags.

Remove any non-compostable items like wire, tea candles, or electric lights.

When placing leaves and other yard waste to the curb for collection, pile that material on the terrace or at the street edge. If you choose to bag your yard waste in compostable paper bags or plastic bags, be sure to leave them open at the top so crews can identify what is inside. And never put your leaves and yard waste piles directly in the street.

Crews are following a new schedule for yard waste collection. Before you start piling yard waste and leaves at the curb, check the Streets Division’s yard waste website to learn when to set out your material for pickup. Placing it out too early, or too late, could result in the piles and bags sitting in place for weeks. The Streets Division’s yard waste website is www.cityofmadison.com/yardwaste.

City of Madison residents may also bring their pumpkins and other yard waste material to one of the Streets Division’s drop-off sites. The sites are located at 1501 W. Badger Rd., 4602 Sycamore Ave, and 402 South Point Rd. The sites are open Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 2:50pm, and on Saturday from 9:00am to 4:00pm. These hours will remain in effect until December 4, 2020. Winter drop-off site hours will begin on Monday, December 7, 2020.

If you are a home composter, you can spice up your backyard compost bin with pumpkins, too. Pumpkins are a great source of nitrogen, and a good way to offset carbon from fallen leaves.

Additional information about yard waste collection and composting, can be found on the Streets Division’s website and by listening to the recent Everyday Engineering podcast about the proper process for parting with pumpkins.