Drop old jack-o'-lanterns at the McIntire Recycling Center Nov. 4-9 for free composting. The center also moves to winter hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Monday.

Charlottesville’s Halloween pumpkins have somewhere better to go than the trash can this week.

The Rivanna Solid Waste Authority will run its 9th annual Great Pumpkin Smash from Wednesday, Nov. 4, through Monday, Nov. 9, at the McIntire Recycling Center, 611 McIntire Road. Residents drop their old pumpkins into a large container, and the authority sends it to a composting facility.

It is free and open to residents of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. The container is self-service. The details come from the city’s Oct. 29 release for the authority.

Winter hours start Monday

The McIntire Recycling Center switches to winter hours on Monday, Nov. 2, the day after daylight saving time ends. The authority said the change matches the earlier sunsets.

Hours Days
Winter, Nov. 2 to March 14 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Monday
Summer, from March 15 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday through Monday

The center is closed every Tuesday, including Election Day, Nov. 3. Every day of the Pumpkin Smash falls on a day the center is open. The hours are on the authority’s McIntire Recycling Center page.

What you can and cannot leave at McIntire

The authority’s page sets these rules for the rest of the year:

  • Food scraps for compost: accepted, but only in compostable bags, not plastic trash bags. Free 3-gallon compostable bags are available on site.
  • Commercial food waste: not accepted.
  • Yard waste: not accepted. Leaves go to the city’s own drop-off instead (below).
  • Styrofoam: not accepted at any Rivanna recycling site.
  • Pizza boxes: no longer taken for compost; they go in the cardboard container.

What it means for you

  • Take your pumpkins to 611 McIntire Road any day from Wednesday, Nov. 4, to Monday, Nov. 9. It costs nothing.
  • Plan around the new closing time of 5:30 p.m., and remember the center is shut on Tuesdays.
  • Leaves are a separate job. The city’s curbside leaf pickup reaches Zone B this week, and its Saturday leaf drop-off at 1505 Avon Street Extended opens Nov. 7. Zones, dates and the rest of the schedule are on our trash and recycling guide.
  • Questions go to the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority at 434-977-2970.