Pumpkins aplenty

Craig Richards/THG Amy Menzel, chair of the Green Committee, posts signs for the Pumpkin smash.

HAMMONTON—Pumpkins tasked with creating a perfect Halloween ambience were called on once again for a second and final duty—restoration. The second annual Pumpkin Smash sponsored by the Hammonton Green Committee gave aging pumpkins and their owners the opportunity to give back.

This year residents were encouraged to bring their pumpkins to the Hammonton Community Garden at the corner of 11th and Washington for a multi-purposed recycling project on November 3. Designed to raise awareness about composting, offer effective methods of disposal, and keeping organic items out of the trash, the event’s coordinator, Amy Menzel, Hammonton Green Committee chairperson oversaw the event.

“We were inviting people to bring their droopy jack-o-lanterns to the community garden where we can compost them and get them back into the soil rather than go into the landfill,” Menzel said.

Composting is a beneficial act and simple to do. In areas like the community garden material can decompose and enrich the existing soil, which can be depleted by gardening and daily use. This natural process of decomposition is a key method to reintroduce natural elements back into existing soil while reducing the amount of waste being sent to the landfill.

The event was the first of two planned this year with the second being scheduled for Saturday, November 30, targeting pumpkins used to celebrate Thanksgiving. The second event will also be scheduled at the community garden location.