Bloomington-Normal residents have several options to avoid harming the environment as they get to work raking or blowing their leaves to the curb this fall.
EcologyAction Center Executive Director Michael Brown said leaves can clog up storm drains, or become a stormwater pollutant.
“If people do want to rake them up and have them hauled away, there is nothing wrong with that, but just keep them out of the street,” said Brown. “Put them to the curb, but still on the curb. If you drive around town you’ll see a lot of people putting them into the street in concern of killing the grass.”
It takes 3 to 6 months for leaves to decompose in a compost bin, ready for use in your yard. If you dump them somewhere on a pile, without turning them over or creating a moist environment, it takes about one year, or longer, which could cause algae to grow.
“Raking them up to the curb, then it won’t clog the sewer systems, it won’t cause flooding in the streets and deposit all these excess nutrients in our creeks and streams,” said Brown.
Brown said leaving them alone can be helpful for your lawn and can be decomposed by earthworms. This keeps waterways clean and generates free fertilizer for your lawn and garden.
“Letting those leaves lie is what’s best for the soil. It’s going to keep them out of the street and the storm sewer system, and there’s just a lot of benefits there,” he said, adding removing your leaves each year can gradually deplete your soil, leaving your lawn, trees and garden hungry for nutrients.
Leaves are packed with trace minerals that trees draw up from deep in the soil. When added to your garden, leaves feed earthworms and beneficial microbes. However, leaves can create over-nutrients, and if they make it into local water, it can kill aquatic life and animals.
Leaves making it into local waters also may create bad odors and unpleasant tastes in drinking water.
“Bloomington residents are well aware of the times of year where we have funny-tasting water or funny odors, and that is often caused by algae growth, which is related to those excess nutrients,” said Brown.
Normal and Bloomington begin their leaf pickup on Monday, Nov. 2, and recommend that leaf piles do not top 3 feet.
The Ecology Action Center (EAC), based in Normal, offers resources for the community to help people compost properly. Throughout the year it offers composting workshops. The EAC even sells ready-to-use compost for those gardening in the spring.
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