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Garden <br />Options for disposing of leaves <br />Attachment B <br />University of Minnesota Extension <br />Robert J. Mugaas, Extension Educator, Department of Horticultural Science <br />Thomas R. Halbach, Extension Educator, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate <br />www.extension.umn.edu <br />612-624-1222 <br />Fall clean-up usually means having to deal with an abundance of leaves. State law now bans this material <br />from landfills and burning facilities in Minnesota. The options still available to homeowners include off-site <br />disposal or use of leaves in the home landscape. <br />Options for off-site disposal include: <br />• having them hauled away for a fee by your private refuse hauler. <br />• having them hauled away by a community pick-up program (if available). <br />• disposal of them at a community composting or drop-off site (if available). <br />• disposal of them at a commercial yard waste processing site in your area. <br />For information on community programs or sites, contact the Recycling Coordinator in your city. Contact <br />your refuse hauler for their policies and rates, and check the Yellow Pages or your city office for the names <br />of commercial yard waste processors near you. Shredding leaves can reduce volume by 50% or more and <br />may result in reduced disposal costs. <br />Options for using leaves at home include: <br />• spreading them as a mulch around trees, shrubs, and in planting beds. <br />adding them to your compost pile. <br />leaving some of them where they fall. <br />Leaves make an excellent mulch for use around trees and shrubs, or in flower and vegetable gardens. They <br />help retard the growth of weeds, help retain soil moisture, help maintain lower soil temperatures in the <br />summer, and protect against temperature fluctuations and some types of low temperature injury during <br />winter. They eventually decompose, adding their nutrients to the soil and improving soil structure. <br />Leaves make a good addition to your compost pile. Shredding is not required, but it may speed their rate of <br />decomposition. Leaves are difficult to compost alone and will require extra nitrogen in the form of a <br />commercial fertilizer (no weed 'n' feed products), or materials high in nitrogen such as grass clippings. If you <br />have room, you can save leaves to mix with green materials next summer. As a general rule, grass clippings <br />should be left on the lawn, but for those times when you need to collect clippings, it is useful to have leaves <br />