Trash Talk

It’s that time of year again, when the air gets crisp and the beautiful fall colors come out. Bright yellows, fiery reds, and bright oranges saturate the landscape. With this comes pumpkins and Jack-O-Lanterns!
Clay County Solid Waste will be holding our annual pumpkin collection event Take Jack Back from November 1-14. Collection bins will be placed around the county near recycling drop off sites, and then will be transported to Doubting Thomas Farms just north of Moorhead to be composted. Pumpkins are high in nitrogen which helps the growth and production of oats on their farm. Doubting Thomas Farms distributes their organic oats in our community to local businesses.

So why should you make sure you compost your pumpkins? Composting is a good way to make sure the nutrients contained in the pumpkins are returned back to the soil and not wasted by sitting in a landfill. Healthier soil equals healthier food! Diverting the food waste back to the soil means the pumpkins won’t take up valuable space in the landfill, helping our landfills last longer.
Since these pumpkins will be composted, we need to keep other contaminants out of the soil. Make sure that you remove decorations from your pumpkin before placing in the collection bin, including things like paint, glitter, stickers, and candles and wax. You can carve off the spots with paint or wax then compost the remainder of your pumpkin. Both carved and uncarved pumpkins are welcome in the composting bins.
Composting bins will be labeled and located at your local recycling drop sites from November 1st to November 14th for Clay County residents!
Moorhead: 700 15th Ave N
(Public Works Facility)
23rd St S & 40th Ave
(South Side Reg. Park)
418 Elm St S
Resource Recovery Center
(3322 15th Ave N)
Dilworth: 600 Center Ave W
Georgetown: 127 Main
Glyndon: 18 3rd St SE
Oakport: Compost Site
Hawley: 716 Front St
Hitterdal: By the Water Tower
Barnesville: 205 Front Street N
Sabin: 6 Main St
Ulen: 108 NP Ave West

For more information, check out our website at ClayCountyMN.Gov. You can also contact Clay County Solid Waste at (218) 299-5016 or Solid.Waste@ClayCountyMN.Gov.