"This time of year leaves make up the biggest component oflandscape wastes," Derek Scheer, Water Policy Director of CleanWisconsin said. "Leaves are one of the easiest landscape wastesto compost. A simple compost pile, can protect our waters,reduce waste in landfills and improve your plants.”

1.It reduces the amount of algae in our lakes.

2.It reduces the amount of waste in landfills.

3.It improves soil structure, texture, and aeration andincreases the soil's water-holding capacity. Your plants willthank you for the compost by producing more.

Reduces Algae in our Lakes

Leaves contribute to our lakes turning green in the summer byfertilizing lake weeds and algae. When leaf piles sit, wind andrain carry them into storm drains and into our lakes, throughthe storm sewers. Even if the leaves are piled on your lawn,rain seeping through the piles picks up phosphorus and otherplant nutrients that flow into the storm drains.

Nearly 30 percent of the wastes homeowners throw away each yearcan be composted. This keeps these wastes out of landfills andcreates a product that adds valuable organic matter to the lawnand garden. Composting may be the easiest way for homeowners todispose of them. Instead of clogging landfills, those leaves andfruit and peelings can be recycled as backyardcompost.

Composting can be as easy as digging an area in your garden, atleast a foot deep, dumping leaves in the hole and covering itwith the twelve inches of soil you dug up. You could alsopurchase a compost container or build your own.

The compost pile should contain a mix of nitrogen- andcarbon-rich materials because both are essential for themicroorganisms that do the decomposing. Green, leafy wastesusually are high in nitrogen, while woody materials tend to behigh in carbon. Also include kitchen scraps such as egg shells,melon rinds, coffee grinds, banana peels, etc in your compost.Placing an empty ice cream pail in the kitchen cabinet belowyour sink is an easy way to collect the scraps. You should avoidmeat scraps and dairy in the compost pile. These typicallyattract rodents and other pests you don’t want in your backyard.For a great list of what can and can’t go in a compost pile see:http://www.compostguide.com/. They have an easy to followchart listing common composting materials.

As long as the pile is large enough to insulate itself, it willcontinue to decompose throughout the winter. When warm weatherreturns in the spring, use a shovel to stir the pile (turning).The object of turning is to rotate the material in the pile. Thepile should be turned once a week. The compost is ready to usewhen the pile cools and the material is dark, crumbly andsweet-smelling, like soil. Finished compost can be used nextspring to mulch around shrubs or flowers or as a soil enhancerfor gardens.

If composting won’t work for you, participate in your local ormunicipal fall leaf collection.

•Call your local Public Works Department. Most cities, townsand villages have leaf collections in October or citizens candrop off yard waste at specific sites. Call for the schedule.

•If your municipality picks up leaves, place leaves for pickupon the terrace between the sidewalk and the street. Put a tarpover the leaves on your terrace to stop them from blowing intothe street. Bag your leaves only if your terrace is very narrow;bags must contain only leaves and be open at the top for easyemptying. Raking leaves into the street will carry them intostorm drains and into our lakes, through the storm sewers.Please note that piles of leaves and bags of leaves won’t harmyour grass. By late fall, grass has stopped growing and becomesdormant until spring.

Other options to protect Wisconsin Waters from leaves:

•Use a mulching or regular lawnmower to chop leaves into smallpieces that will breakdown easier and release ‘good’ nutrientsinto your lawn.

•Rake leaves over flower beds mulched with wood chips as asupplement to help reduce weeds. The decomposed leaves willenhance the planting bed and save money.

•Plant a natural landscape under trees. Using nativewildflowers, ferns, and grasses will provide a natural place forfallen leaves.

•Set up a community or neighborhoods compost pile. For example,Eau Claire County no longer accepts yard waste at any of theircollection sites. On the County web site , there is a yard waste directory. The listconsists of homeowners who accept yard waste to compost.

Wisconsin’s water is precious and it’s our responsibility tokeep it safe and useable. For more information on protecting ourlakes, rivers and streams call Clean Wisconsin for their poster’30 easy ways to care for Wisconsin Water’ or visit our web site www.cleanwisconsin.org.