SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): Union County, New Jersey, announced its annual pumpkin recycling initiative, offering residents an opportunity to divert Halloween waste from landfills and support renewable energy production. The pumpkins collected through the drive are processed to generate electricity for homes and businesses. The 2026 collection campaign is organized by the Union County Board of County Commissioners in partnership with the Bureau of Recycling and Planning.
The initiative builds on the success of the 2025 campaign, which diverted nearly 10 tons of discarded pumpkins from the municipal waste stream.
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This year's program features five collection points in Elizabeth, Kenilworth, Plainfield, Union Township and Westfield. Residents can use any participating location, irrespective of their municipality. The program will run from Monday, November 2nd through Monday, November 30th.
Collected pumpkins will be transported to Waste Management's CORe facility in Elizabeth. The facility’s specialized processing system converts organic food waste into an organic slurry, which supports biogas production and other renewable applications at nearby wastewater treatment facilities.
Households are required to remove candles, decorative materials and other non-organic items before bringing their pumpkins for recycling. The collection program accepts pumpkins exclusively; other food scraps and household waste will not be accepted.