New Rochelle has formally adopted the “Love’em and Leave’em” program that reduces cost to the municipality by the completely new concept of leaving nature to nature. Why consider grass clippings trash and treat them as that, thus creating the cost of combining, bagging, transporting first to the transfer station, then to the large organic waste disposal area outside of Westchester County.
If grass was mowed with a special mulch blade (cost is $20.00) it’ll get cut up in tiny pieces, thus falling back into the lawn and creating a natural cycle. Just mow as you normally do, and voila! nothing else is required. A miracle in saving time, labor and money. Makes all the sense in the world, no?
However…… is that happening at our schools extensive green areas that are being mowed regularly?
City News
Posted on: May 31, 2013
Leaves and Grass: Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em!
Every spring, summer and fall, homeowners throw away nature’s valuable resources: leaves and grass clippings. The City of New Rochelle’s new “Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em” mulching campaign is a sustainable alternative that will add valuable material back to lawns and gardens.
Property owners and landscapers are invited to attend a live demonstration on the ease and benefits of mulching (shredding in place) on Wednesday, June 12 at 7:00 PM at City Hall, 515 North Avenue, New Rochelle. The benefits include:
• A healthy property: Mulching recycles nutrients into the soil to feed lawns & plants,
provides a free natural fertilizer, and helps retain moisture.
• Saving time and effort: Mulching leaves in place is easier and faster than raking or
blowing them to the curb.
• Helps the environment: Transporting and disposing of leaves wastes energy and contributes to pollution. Also, leaf piles block streets and traffic, clog storm drains, and result in excess nutrient runoff (phosphorus & nitrogen) polluting our waterways.
“Most homeowners unknowing interrupt one of nature’s primary cycles of life by removing leaves and grass clippings from their lawns,” says Deborah Newborn, Sustainability Coordinator for the City of New Rochelle. “Shredding the leaves and grass and keeping them on lawns and flower beds returns this valuable organic material to the soil to enrich your grass and gardens.”
In May, the City Council unanimously passed a resolution encouraging on-site leaf and grass mulching. The “Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em” campaign is being coordinated in partnership with the Greenburgh Nature Center. For more information visit newrochelle.leleny.org or contact Sustainability Coordinator Deborah Newborn at (914) 654-2003.
