By simply using a few techniques, you can greatly impact our city's waste production. Learn to grasscycle, compost and mulch for a yard-smart, earth-wise home.

Did You Know?

Did you know your family could be producing as much as 2,000 pounds of yard waste a year?

In a city of nearly 118,000 homes, that adds up to 150,000,000 pounds of natural resources that are potentially thrown away. We can positively affect our economy and the environment by changing our habits of raking leaves, bagging grass and throwing away yard waste. By learning simple time- and money-saving techniques like composting, grasscycling and mulching, we will learn the secret of turning old yard waste into “gardener’s gold.” You will have a more beautiful yard, lower water and fertilizer bills, and reduce the demand for landfill space.

Grasscycling

Grasscycling is the practice of leaving your grass clippings on the lawn when mowing. This can save time, money, and other resources such as landfill space. The clippings are mostly water and quickly decompose, returning nutrients to the soil. Grasscycling is also called mulch mowing. It does not require any fancy equipment. And the Professional Lawn Care Association of America recommends it for a beautiful and healthy yard.

Mulching

Mulching is another simple way to recycle yard wastes and improve your soil. It can be done with grass, chopped leaves and woody materials. Simply place these materials around trees and in your garden around plants. The mulch serves as a protective layer on the soil surface. Mulching is one of the most beneficial practices you can use in the garden because it conserves water and provides nutrients to the soil. Along with composting and grasscycling, mulching is an important way to make use of green waste and help the environment.

Composting

Composting is nature’s way of recycling. In a natural ecosystem as leaves, branches and plants fall to the ground, soil microorganisms decompose them into a dark, nutrient-rich humus. You can duplicate this process in your own backyard and turn your unwanted leaves, twigs, grass clippings and vegetable food scraps into a useful soil amendment by composting. Your composted material can be used as a soil enhancer, mulch, or potting soil.