This is a press release from New Rochelle’s website.
I can highly recommend this program. It saves Tax money by reducing tipping fees, transportation cost, and cross contamination costs. New Rochelle and Westchester are spending $48 per ton to just tip the truck of organic material, with labor, fuel and other cost, the price tag is more like $200 per ton. And that does not even take secondary costs like road upkeep, pollution mitigation etc into consideration.
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.
