Don't Burn It! Leave it a lawn.

Leave Your Leaves on the Lawn!!

Don't burn those leaves and grass clippings! Leave them on your lawn. If you really want to catch the grass and leaves, don't send them to the landfill; make your own compost pile. A compost pile is a designated area where you put your grass clippings, leaves and other organic yard waste.

What should and shouldn't be put into the compost pile?

These items are safe for a compost pile:

grass clippings, twigs, leaves and weeds (except ones that have gone to seed, or spread by runners), coffee grounds, filters and tea bags, egg shells, fruit and vegetable scraps, shredded newspaper (do not add the glossy newspaper inserts as they contain chemicals in the colored ink)

These items are not safe for a compost pile:

diseased plants, detructive stalky weeds, twigs/leaves/weeds that have gone to seed or spread by runners, animal or human waste, chemically treated wood products, glossy or coated paper, ashes, meat/fish/scraps and bones, oils and other fatty food products, milk products

In the unusual case that your compost pile has a bad odor, you can mix in cat litter to control the smell. Since you are not ussing food scraps, you shouldn't have this problem. For a complete guide to composting, visit these Web sites: