Donate Pumpkins to Farms

Sustainable Southbury is partnering with local farmers to donate those used pumpkins.  They make great animal feed. Visit a participating Southbury farm anytime from dawn to dusk, November 1 through 5, and November 25 to 29 to drop off your pumpkins or gourds to be used as animal feed at the farm.

Please note that paint, glitter, decorations, candles, and wax cannot be used for animal feed and are not eligible for drop-off.  It is vitally important that the pumpkins contain no metal, as this could be lethal to cattle.  If you cannot eat it, neither can the animal.  No other food scraps or organic materials can be dropped off at these participating farms.

The participating farms are:

• Lone Oak Farm, 227 Bates Rock Rd, Southbury, CT
• Aradia Farm, 1008 Bullet Hill Rd, Southbury, CT
• Flat Hill Farm, 650 East Flat Hill Road, Southbury, CT
• Breezy Knolls Farm, 507 Jeremy Swamp Road, Southbury, CT

Look for bins or a wagon as you pull into the farm.

Why should you not throw your pumpkins in the trash?

• 3 billion pounds of pumpkins are sent to landfills and incinerators annually in the U.S.
• By diverting this wet, heavy organic matter, we lower the costs the town pays to haul trash away and reduce the air pollution caused by incinerators that burn our trash.
• Leaving food scraps and pumpkins in landfills creates methane gas which contributes to greenhouse gasses.
• Donating your used pumpkins will help support local farmers.

This program and partnership with local farmers are part of Sustainable Southbury’s Food Waste Reduction Program. We offer education for residents to help them reduce their food waste and, together with the town, have developed a Food Scrap Dropoff program for composting food scraps at the town Transfer station.  We partner with the Center for EcoTechnology to help local restaurants reduce their food waste and recycle what they cannot donate.

See https://www.sustainablesouthbury.org/pumpkin-donations-to-farms or contact [email protected] for more information.