Right about now your yard is likely filling up with leaves. But instead of raking, blowing, and bagging them, you can put these leaves to good use and help protect the environment: just mulch them with your lawn mower. Mulching provides a natural lawn fertilizer, helps prevent weed growth, conserves water and protects waterways from runoff pollution.
- Mulch when leaves are dry or only slightly wet.
- Set the mower blade to its highest setting.
- Remove the bag that collects clippings.
- With heavy leaf cover, you may need to make more than one pass. Make the second pass at right angles, perpendicular to the first.
- Reduce leaf clutter to dime-size pieces.
- You’re done when about half an inch of grass can be seen through mulched leaf layer.
- If you’re done and can’t see any grass whatsoever, reattach the bag and go over the grass one last time to pick up some of the leaves. Place bagged leaves in your garden beds or compost pile.
- Consider mulching on a weekly basis during the height of the season to prevent a challenging amount of leaves from accumulating.
You can mulch leaves with any type of lawn mower. If you prefer a mulching blade, they can be purchased at most hardware and home improvement stores.
If mulching isn’t an option, you can bring your leaves to a community collection center. Some yard waste drop-off facilities also offer residents opportunities to obtain mulch or compost at low cost. Search RecycleSpot to find a center near you.
A number of communities also offer curbside yard waste collection in addition to regular trash and recycling services. Search by community in RecycleSpot to see if your city has this service (and call to verify). If you don’t have municipal leaf and brush curbside collection, there are private companies that also manage lawn refuse. RecycleSpot includes a list of many providers; contact them to find out about costs and procedures.