Hoosiers Encouraged to Compost Leaves this Fall

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) encourages Hoosiers to put away the matches this autumn and break out their rakes to get rid of leaves and other yard waste. Compost, mulch and chip yard waste instead of burning it.

IDEM advises against open burning to get rid of leaves and other yard waste. People may like the smell of burning leaves, but they are really breathing in large amounts of non-visible smoke and soot. All smoke is harmful to human health and burning five pounds of leaves releases about one pound of soot and other chemicals into the air.   

To manage fallen leaves, Hoosiers can follow these tips:

• Mix leaves into a compost pile to break them down naturally. Composted leaves produce rich, fertile humus that can enrich flowerbeds and gardens;
• Check with your county, city or town about curbside leaf pickup guidelines and dates. If this service is not offered, bag leaves for easy drop-off at a community composting facility; 
• Mulch the leaves in your yard with a lawnmower. This method saves time, returns nutrients to your lawn and disposes of the leaves in one easy step; and,
• Use a rake instead of a leaf blower to gather leaves into piles. Besides reducing ozone-forming emissions that come from small, gasoline-powered tools, raking provides low-impact exercise. 

Burning leaves, branches and other clean wood is legal in most of Indiana, but many counties and local communities have local ordinances that limit or ban open burning. If no alternatives are available and you burn as a last resort, check with local officials to make sure the burn is legal and have plenty of fire-fighting equipment on-hand to control the fire. It is illegal to burn in Clark, Floyd, Lake and Porter counties.

Composting, mulching and chipping yard waste is as easy as burning and can take less time. IDEM has information at this webpage that explains how to manage yard waste without burning.

Source: Indiana Department of Environmental Management

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