COLUMBUS – There are going to be a lot of pumpkins and yard signs left over after Hallowe’en and Election Day so the City of Columbus will host drop-off sites for residents to dispose of pumpkins, gourds and yard signs to keep them out of the landfill or blue recycling containers.
Carved jack-o-lanterns with candles removed, full and moldy pumpkins and gourds will be accepted for composting at the Division of Refuse Collection’s drive-through sites, though pumpkins decorated with paint or permanent marker won’t be.
The purpose of the drop-off events is to keep pumpkins, gourds and yard signs from being hauled to the county landfill or contaminating yard waste or placed in residential blue recycling containers serviced by the city’s collection program, officials said.
The pumpkin drop-off collection sites will operate on three Saturdays — Nov. 4, Nov. 25 and Dec. 2 — from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Columbus Refuse Collection transfer stations:
• 2100 Alum Creek Dr., 43207
• 1550 Georgesville Rd., 43228
• 4260 Morse Rd., 43230
To reduce contamination, pumpkins may not be dropped off at the city’s three food scraps drop-off sites. Click here for more information on how to use the food waste sites.
The drive-through yard sign recycling event will be held on Nov. 11, the Saturday after Election Day, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Alum Creek Refuse Collection station, 2100 Alum Creek Dr.
Residents also have the option to take their signs to Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio’s sign recycling event location at the Bill McDonald Athletic Complex, 4990 Olentangy River Road, from 8:00 a.m. to noon on Nov. 11.
All paper, plastic and coroplast signs, including metal stands, will be accepted and recycled free of charge thanks to a partnership with SWACO.