Leaving pumpkins on private property or a nature preserve without permission is littering and illegal. Come fall, it is common for natural areas to become a dumping spot for yard waste, pumpkins, straw, and other organic decorations which is costly. The thought is that these items will compost, but Peggy Doty, Illinois Extension energy and environment stewardship educator, says it has a negative effect.
Don’t dump Halloween pumpkins, donate or compost them