Brookline DPW to host 'Go Green After Halloween' Nov. 5

The Town of Brookline's Department of Public Works announced Oct. 20 that it will hold its fourth annual "Go Green After Halloween" event on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. The event will take place in the West Centre Street Parking Lot during the Brookline Farmer's Market.

Residents are encouraged to bring pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns and other gourds and toss them into a compost carnival truck. To be composted, pumpkins must be free of non-biodegradable materials such as paint, candles or wax, and glitter. Residents who take part in the town's Food Waste Drop-Off Program are strongly encouraged to bring their pumpkins to this event rather than the drop-off bins, to help minimize possible overflow.

The DPW also is collecting gently used Halloween costumes for donation to reduce textile waste. Donated costumes will go to Lincoln School for distribution during its Pumpkinfest event in October 2027. Residents are asked to label all donated costumes with a description and size beforehand.

Composting pumpkins helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and creates nutrient-rich soil, according to the announcement, which noted that more than 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins are discarded in the U.S. each fall. The announcement also cited that roughly 35 million Halloween costumes are thrown away annually in the U.S., producing about 5,952 tons of textile waste.

The West Centre Street Parking Lot can be reached from the Coolidge Corner MBTA station or the Shailer Street and Harvard Street stop on the Route 66 bus. Questions about the event can be directed to DPW's Highway and Sanitation Division by email.

Source: Town of Brookline announcement, October 20, 2026.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the original announcement.