Leaves, grass, branches, etc. can't go in our trash-or in with our recyclables--where should they go?

Question

This is a big problem for us--as if we just leave them sitting in bags in the backyard animals rip them up.

Answer 1

Make some compost! It's the oldest form of recycling, Mother Nature's been doing it for millennia! Really good for growing stuff in! If you don't have a great deal of room, make a compost trench. Dig beside your fence, the width of a spade, about a foot deep, a foot or two long, to start with. Put your organic material in and put dirt back in. For your next batch, continue the trench, and soon you'll have really good soil.

Answer 2

A compost bin is what you need. You can buy them or make one. To make one you will need some timber to make a box that has no base and is open to the ground. The size of it will depend on the amount of grass and leaves etc that you are having to get rid of. Then make a lid for this box. All you need to do then is put in the leaves, grass and branches. You can also add any plant based food scraps and newspapers. These will all decompose and you will have great mulch to put around your plants. You will need to turn the compost about once every month to add air to it so it decomposes faster. I don't do this last step and it still works fine. After you have quite a lot in the bin you can empty out the lower half of it which will have turned into dark brown mulch that looks like soil. Happy composting.

Answer 3

Create yourself a mulch bin cheaply, check into local programs that actually give them away for free. Your Grass can be used as a alternative to bark mulch. A hand powered grinder can break up your branches and twigs to also be turned into mulch. Your leaves can be highly acidic depending on the tree they are from; so find a plant at your local greenhouse that loves a highly acid soil content
( Hydrangeas are a good choice if they grow in your region)
After digging your hole for your new plant, line it with leaves and then fill it with the soil and the plant.
You accquire a wonderful new plant that will thrive and you will have a constant source of "leaf fertilizer" to add each year. Check you local "do it yourself center ( Lowes, Home Depot, ect for books on how to build your own.)

Answer 4

Most communities now have a yard waste pick up available. The wood is chipped into mulch and the leaves and grass clippings are mulched. You can also create your own mulch pile at home that makes wonderful fertilizer without the chemicals. Grass clippings are 90% water so they breakdown quickly. My local community has an annual recycle day where it is possible to buy a mulch barrel at cost.

Answer 5

If you have a lot of this green debris, then your home composting won't be able to handle it all at once. And it seems like you want it out, you're done dealing with it! You can try contacting a local landscaping company who can use the material as mulch. You can also try looking up a local mulching company, but sometimes they actually charge YOU per bag you drop off. Anything will be better than it ending up in the landfill!

Answer 6

I use the grass cuttings etc for compost and the branches and woody stuff I bag it up and take it to the local tip - they have a big skip there for green waste recycling.

Answer 7

In some places, i think they have garbage trucks that pick that up with your regular garbage. Then again, you can always keep your leaves, grass, branches, etc. in a compost heap. Use it as fertilizer.

Answer 8

Compost for leaves and shred the branches for mulch.

Answer 9

They make a great mulch; in the fall, when all the leaves are different colors, my mom mows over the leaves instead of raking them, and it makes the yard look nice and colorful.

Answer 10

Start a compost bin and you will not only get rid of the debris, but also have some good fertilizer for you plants.