Hoosiers encouraged to compost leaves this fall
Comet staff report

The Indiana Department of EnvironmentalManagement (IDEM) encouraged Hoosiers to put away the matches this autumn and break out their rakes to get rid of leaves and other yard waste. The department suggested residents compost, mulch and chip yard waste instead of burning it.

IDEMadvises 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 nonvisible 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.

Tomanage fallen leaves,Hoosiers can followthese tips: • Mix leaves into a compost pile to break them down naturally. Composted leaves produce rich, fertile humus that can enrich flowerbeds and gardens; • checkwithyour county, cityor town about curbside leaf pickup guidelines anddates. If this service isnotoffered, 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, rakingprovides low-impact exercise.

Burningleaves,branches andother 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, checkwith local officials tomake sure theburnis legal and have plenty of fire-fighting equipmenton-handtocontrol the fire. It is illegal to burn in Clark, Floyd, Lake and Porter counties.

Composting, mulching and chipping yardwaste is as easy as burning and can take less time. Find information from IDEM at www.recycle.in.gov/topics/ that explains how to manage yard waste without burning.